JULY 10TH: The deal is official, the Wizards announce.
JULY 1ST: The Wizards have agreed to sign big man Marcin Gortat to a new deal, according to teammate and enterprising journalist John Wall on Twitter. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) says that it’s a five-year, $60MM pact. There are no options or early terminations in Gortat’s deal, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com.
The mutual interest in a reunion between Gortat and the Wizards has been widely reported for months now, but there were still a number of suitors that threatened to get in the way. The Heat, for one, were said to be thinking about uniting Gortat with their Big Three this summer. The Cavs were also contemplating a run at the 30-year-old, but the Wizards managed to get on the phone with Gortat just after the clock struck midnight and apparently made quick progress on a deal.
Gortat, 30, averaged 13.2 PPG and 9.5 RPG last season for the Wizards while helping them reach the second round of the playoffs. The five-year, $60MM contract matches up with the deal that the Wolves gave to Nikola Pekovic roughly eleven months ago, though it’s not clear if Gortat has an incentives package like Pek’s ($8MM in total).
As Wall touched on his tweet, the Wizards will now turn their attention to re-signing teammate Trevor Ariza. Ariza has spoken fondly of his time in D.C. but is said to be seeking a deal in the $8-$11MM range and likes the idea of playing in a warm weather city.
Well there goes a big man
Makes the Nikola Pekovic deal look likea steal.