NBA Free Agency Rumors: Ian Mahinmi to sign with Wizards

With the Washington Wizards missing out on the Al Horford sweepstakes to the Boston Celtics, the Wizards acted swiftly and signed free agent Ian Mahinmi.

According to Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post, the Washington Wizards have agreed to a four-year deal with former Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi worth $64 million. This comes after Washington was unable to land Al Horford, who signed with the Boston Celtics.

With Washington unlikely to re-sign veteran center Nene, the Wizards were looking for a strong piece to play at center alongside skilled power forward Marcin Gortat. Though Washington was in the Horford sweepstakes until the final few hours, Mahinmi only has one year’s experience as a starting NBA center.

Mahinmi was thrust into a starting role with the 2015-16 Pacers after Indiana parted ways with longtime big men power forward David West and center Roy Hibbert last summer. Indiana began the process of transitioning from a sluggish defense-first team to one that can go up-tempo on offense and play small ball.

Though Mahinmi was really just a stop-gap starting center for the Pacers while promising rookie Myles Turner came into his own, Mahinmi did play well enough to earn a large payday and a starting center job with what could be a solid starting five in Washington.

The Wizards already have an elite NBA backcourt with John Wall at point guard and recently re-signed Bradley Beal at shooting guard. Washington traded for small forward Markieff Morris during the 2016 NBA trade deadline. Mahinmi now joins Gortat in the Washington low-post. Signing Mahinmi wasn’t Washington’s first choice, but could be a long-term upgrade over the aging Nene.

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