While plenty of NBA teams scramble to put a roster in place for the start of training camps at the same time that free agency begins on Dec. 9, the Wizards know that they should at least have 10 players in the gym, just enough players to run full-court, five-on-five scrimmages. But that doesn’t mean that backchannel discussions haven’t already begun to fill out the remainder of the roster, and new wrinkles in the tentative collective bargaining agreement should have some effect. Three key areas remain:
Amnesty
While the $46 million remaining on Rashard Lewis’ outsized contract seems like it would be a prime deterrent for the rebuilding Wizards, it’s not so clear that he’ll fall victim to the rule that will allow each team to shed a contract signed under the previous CBA. While waiving Lewis this year would immediately free up $21 million ($16.9 million with games lost) from the payroll this year, it would leave the Wizards well short of the salary minimum, 85 percent of the cap, which the CBA also requires. With a rebuilding team, a slim free agent market, and cap space needed for JaVale McGee and John Wall in the future, the Wizards can save amnesty for next year — for Lewis or someone else.
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Nick Young
The pressure is on to bring back Young, who scored a career-best 17.4 points a game last year, and who could be in demand from teams with roster holes to fill (New Orleans, Denver) or that expect to contend in the playoffs (Chicago). The new CBA trims the time for matching an offer sheet from seven to three days, but the compressed free agency period could be a deterrent from getting an outside offer. That said, Roger Mason Jr. said he could potentially return to Washington this year.
Other free agents
Should the Wizards keep Maurice Evans or Josh Howard? Evans, fresh off a leadership role in CBA talks, fits well in a locker room that needs a veteran presence with little demand for starter minutes. Howard struggled with his comeback last year and still wants to prove he can play again and perhaps have a shot at the title he missed by getting dealt out of Dallas. With a healthy Lewis at the three and Young and Jordan Crawford sharing minutes at shooting guard, court time might not be enough.
– Craig Stouffer
