5 free agency destinations for Festus Ezeli

In all likelihood, the 2015-16 Washington Wizards are going to come up short of their Eastern Conference Playoffs goal as the Wizards were largely unable to properly adjust to playing in the small ball era of the NBA. Washington wanted to change its lineup construction at the forward positions and it will ultimately force the Wizards into short-term rebuild.

However if the Wizards are able to bring in the right rotational pieces to their club in free agency this summer, then perhaps Washington could skip the rebuilding process all together and get back to the Eastern Conference Playoffs in 2016-17.

One player that could help the Wizards in both the frontcourt and adapt to playing with more pace and space is Ezeli of the Warriors. Not that Ezeli has a ton of shooting range at 6’11”, but he does seem to play well when he is on the floor for the crème de la crème of the small ball era in Golden State.

Ezeli’s great coaching from Stallings to Mark Jackson to Steve Kerr will only help the Wizards have a better understanding of how to play small without having to completely sacrifice size. Washington may have a ton of talent in their backcourt in point guard John Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal, but upgrading the frontcourt with someone of Ezeli’s caliber could delay an inevitable rebuilding project in DC at for a year or two.

Next: 3. Memphis Grizzlies