NBA Rumors: Wizards favorite to sign Marcin Gortat, Trevor Ariza?

By Bryan Rose | Jun 30, 2014

Apr 29, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Wizards forward Trevor Ariza (1), center Marcin Gortat (4), and Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer (5) battle for a rebound during the first quarter in game five of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

The Washington Wizards have not made a secret about their desire to retain both Marcin Gortat and Trevor Ariza, but there are a handful of fellow NBA teams looking to sign both players this offseason. So who’s the favorite to land both players? Well, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders it appears as if the Wizards have the inside track on both.

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Gortat and Ariza have previously mentioned how much they enjoyed playing with the Washington Wizards and have stated a desire to return, though there was the concern over money.

Currently the Wizards have $43 million dollars on their salary cap which gives them space to re-sign both Marcin Gortat and Trevor Ariza. However, after doing so they’d be without much money and would likely have nothing left over outside of NBA provided exceptions. So the question begs, does bringing back Gortat and Ariza become enough for the Wizards to be a competing team in the Eastern Conference?

If there is a silver lining for the Wizards, it’s that the franchise holds the Bird Rights for both players so they’ll be able to give both more money and years as opposed to other interested suitors.

Marcin Gortat and Trevor Ariza have drawn interest from the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks while a few other teams like the Denver Nuggets have expressed interest in just one (Gortat) of the players.

The Wizards may also feel a pressing need to retain Trevor Ariza given the continued back problems of fellow swingman, Martell Webster.