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The Washington Wizards were able to win a playoff series last year and even gave the Indiana Pacers a run for their money in round two – all largely thanks to impressive inside play. It’s pretty clear they’ve realized it, as they made sure to hold onto stud center Marcin Gortat with a five-year deal.
According to reports, Marcin Gortat’s new deal is supposedly fully guaranteed over five years, and is worth roughly $60 million.
It’s a massive contract, but a move the Wiz had to make to keep pace with the other elite Eastern Conference squads. Gortat was a force down low for the Wizards last year, as he put up over 13 points and 9.5 boards per game, along with 1.5 blocks per game.
Gortat was a crucial re-signing, as he was a consistent, reliable presence for the Wiz ever since trading for him with the Phoenix Suns last year. With a nice inside-out offensive game, Gortat was a big part of Washington’s ability to dominate down low and keep shooters open on the outside. He was also a mighty force on the glass and helped Washington’s defense with his shot-blocking and shot-altering ability.
Teamed with Nene Hilario, Drew Gooden and a hopefully re-signed Trevor Booker, Gortat completes a ridiculously well rounded front court for a suddenly strong Wizards team. With Gortat in tow, Washington will look to improve on a solid 2013-14 season and strive for a top-three seed in 2014.
With Gortat locked up, the Wizards can now turn their focus to securing free agent small forward Trevor Ariza. Ariza was a surprisingly effective shooter for the Wiz last year, while also helping on defense as a stopper. If the Wizards can emerge from the 2014 NBA Free Agency period with both in-house players locked up, they’ll avoid any major drop-off in talent and should have a decent shot at being even better than they were a season ago.
