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NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Washington Wizards

By Jerry Christodoulatos

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: John Wall
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: John Wall /
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BOSTON – APRIL 8: Atlanta Hawks’ Dewayne Dedmon and his bench react after he scored a three-point basket against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Atlanta Hawks in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on April 8, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON – APRIL 8: Atlanta Hawks’ Dewayne Dedmon and his bench react after he scored a three-point basket against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Atlanta Hawks in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on April 8, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

3. Dewayne Dedmon

Dewayne Dedmon might not be a dream acquisition for Wizards fans, but he would be a fantastic fit with this roster. Though he entered the league as an athletic, defense-first rim-runner, Dedmon has really added to his game over the past few seasons. Last season in Atlanta, he had the best season of his career. He unveiled a surprisingly smooth 3-point shot and demonstrated marked improvement as a passer. Inserting him into this Wizards lineup would help the team on both ends of the floor. He could develop a nice pick and roll partnership with John Wall, while also adding a touch of shooting that Marcin Gortat doesn’t have in his bag of tricks.

Dedmon’s availability as a free agent this summer will depend on whether or not he picks up his 2018-19 player option worth $7.2 million. Given the depressed value of the center market in the NBA, I’m not sure he’ll be able to make much more than that if he does in fact opt out. Perhaps he could get the full MLE from a team. But again, will any franchise be dying to pay that kind of money to a center when wing depth is a more pressing issue for most teams? If Dedmon becomes a free agent, he’ll almost certainly be outside of Washington’s price range. But if he chooses to opt in, the Wizards might be able to negotiate a trade with the Hawks.

Given the fact that Atlanta is in rebuild mode, they could take on some bad salary from the Wizards in addition to a future draft pick in exchange for Dedmon. Unloading Mahinmi in such a deal will likely be impossible. But a deal centered around Gortat, whose contract expires after next season, could work for both sides.

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