After years of speculation about a return to D.C. for Kevin Durant, the Wizards have all but conceded that a Durant signing isn’t in the cards, and have moved on in their free agency plans, as we heard on Monday. And according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com, one of the top targets next up on Washington’s wish list is veteran sharpshooter Ryan Anderson. Michael reports that the Wizards will “make an aggressive move” in the hopes of securing Anderson when free agency begins.
Anderson, a former 21st overall pick, has only played more than 66 games once in a season, but is coming off a solid year for the Pelicans. He averaged 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, to go along with a shooting line of .427/.366/.873. Anderson’s ability to score from outside despite his 6’10” frame will make him a coveted free agent this summer.
According to Michael, Anderson is expected to wait for Durant’s decision before making a decision of his own, since many of the same teams currently in pursuit of KD could turn their attention to Anderson if they miss out on Plan A.
While the Wizards intend to be aggressive in their pursuit of Anderson, he’ll have plenty of other suitors and he won’t come cheap. As Michael writes, one general manager recently told him that Anderson could land a deal in the range of $17MM annually. Given the impending salary cap spike, something closer to a maximum-salary contract for the 28-year-old isn’t out of the realm of possibility. If the bidding goes that high, it would be problematic for the Wizards, says Michael.
Outside of the Wizards, teams expected to be among the contenders for Anderson include the Rockets, who reportedly hope to land one of Anderson, Durant, Hassan Whiteside, and Al Horford; and the Kings, who are said to have Anderson and Courtney Lee at or near the top of their list of free agent targets.
The Wizards are believed to have made a strong push to acquire Anderson from the Pelicans via trade at the deadline in February, but Washington didn’t want to give up the first-round pick that ultimately wound up going to Phoenix in the Markieff Morris deal, according to an April report from TNT’s David Aldridge.
Horford, Joakim Noah, and Darrell Arthur are a few other frontcourt free-agents-to-be expected to receive interest from the Wizards this offseason.
I doubt the Kings are in the running anymore with the additions of Papagiannis and Labissierre. Labiessierre is supposed to be a stretch forward anyways so I doubt they look to add him.
Since Kd doesn’t want to come home and he has clippers as on his list
Here is three team trade. Between the wizards , clippers. And kings
Clippers get
Morris -$7,400,000
Eddie- $930,431
2nd round from kings 2017
2 -2nd round picks in 17, 19
Kings get
Marion Gortat- $12,000,000
Drew Gooden – 3,547,500
Draft rights to Aaron white
C.j. Wilcox- $1,209,600
2017 first round picks form wizards,clippers
2018 first round pick from wizards
And if the wizards get to finals bye 2018 kings get wizards 2020 1st round pick
The reason for this trade is so clippers sign Durant . Kings get center to replace cousins , two power forwards. Point guard and 4 first round picks and wizards get 2 max players back up point guard, and Demarcus cousins cousin and wall and Demarcus get there dream to play together .
You can’t trade first round picks in back to back years!!! You can loophole that by saying the option to swap picks in a certain year, but you can’t trade picks in back to back years. And how does it make sense that if the Wizards make the finals, the 2018 pick becomes a 2020 pick? And the value to the Kings is terrible. The Kings would want at least one, if not two, of Beal/Oubre/Porter. Gortat and Gooden are not suitable value for Cousins just because it gives them a replacement. That’s like saying the Wizards should trade John Wall to the Jazz for Exum and Burke because those two can replace his spot in the lineup. Value does not mean can we replace Player A with Player B because they play the same position. You actually need to give someone who is good back to try and get equal value. But knowing you, you’re going to ignore this, claim how you can trade picks in back to back years (which is illegal, again), come up with another insane trade scenario that will never happen, and continue to write posts that no one can read.
Idiot!!?
Are you the same guy that got hung up on and made fun of on Chad Dukes vs. the World today? That was funny.