NBA Free Agency: Wizards to match any offers for Otto Porter Jr.

Otto Porter Jr. may be the most coveted restricted free agent this summer, but the Washington Wizards will do everything in their power to keep him.

It took a couple of years, but the Washington Wizards seem to have found an excellent starter in small forward Otto Porter Jr. The Wizards took him third overall in the 2013 NBA Draft out of Georgetown. By year three in the league, he popped as a player, but will now enter his restricted free agency.

After averaging 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 2016-17, Porter stands to be arguably the biggest restricted free agent hitting the market. However, it now looks almost impossible that he will get the chance to leave the nation’s capital this summer.

According to ESPN’s Mike Wise, “Wizards will make an aggressive offer at 12:01 a.m. tonight — and match any offer — to ensure the keep Otto Porter.”

News of Washington being aggressive in Porter’s restricted free agency should come as no surprise. General manager Ernie Grunfeld has done the same thing in recent years with point guard John Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal. All three players were high-end lottery picks made by Grunfeld for the Wizards. Together, this trio makes Washington’s basketball future very bright.

However, it does seem likely that the Wizards will end up overpaying for Porter. He is one of those players that a bad team will throw a max offer sheet at to force the Wizards’ hand to re-sign him for top dollar.

Fortunately for the Wizards, Porter hasn’t hit his prime yet as a player. There is a great chance that he will play up to the value of his presumed four or five-year deal put together by the Wizards for him.

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Keeping Washington’s young corps together makes the Wizards the best team in the Southeast Division by a mile. If they can put together anything close to a solid supporting cast, this is a dark horse NBA Finals team as early as maybe this upcoming season.