2016 NBA free agency: 5 worst fits for DeMar DeRozan

Whether or not DeRozan signs with the Washington Wizards depends on whether Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld wants to give injury-prone shooting guard Bradley Beal a max contract. Beal views himself as a max player, but struggles to play 60 games a season.

At first glance, DeRozan might look like a slam dunk signing for the Wizards — he would certainly be an upgrade on Beal in Washington’s backcourt. But DeRozan and John Wall may not be as good of a backcourt pairing as Wizards fans would be hoping for.

DeRozan is a strong scorer from the mid-range and has tremendous athleticism attacking the basket. While he would be on the receiving end of several great passes from Wall, his inability to affect a game from beyond the arc might hinder Washington’s quest to become a better small-ball team.

Beal is a better outside shooter and defensive player than DeRozan, but DeRozan is the kind of go-to scorer Washington needs to close out crucial playoff games. He’s also way more likely to play in 80 games a season than Beal is.

While Washington would easily be a playoff team and maybe win the Southeast Division with a Wall/DeRozan starting backcourt, the Wizards might not be able to get to the Eastern Conference Finals with other holes on their roster.

Wall is a slightly better point guard than Lowry, but one cannot overlook the great on-court chemistry DeRozan and Lowry have developed while starring for the Raptors. There’s no telling if Wall and DeRozan will mesh as magnificently as DeRozan and Lowry do in Toronto. Signing DeRozan is an expensive upgrade for the Wizards that might not even make them a significantly better basketball team.

Next: 4. Memphis Grizzlies.