Washington Wizards: Otto Porter agrees to max deal with Nets
By Ben Palmer
Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter has agreed to a league-max deal with the Brooklyn Nets worth $106.5M over four years. The Wizards have until July 8 to match the offer.
Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter has agreed to a league-max deal with the Brooklyn Nets worth $106.5M over four years, per The Vertical’s Shams Charania on Twitter.
Because Porter is a restricted free agent, the Washington Wizards will have a chance to retain him by matching the Nets’ offer, something the team has until July 8 to do.
The Wizards have said publicly that they are willing to match any offer that comes Porter’s way, though some in the league think they could just be bluffing. However, according to The Vertical’s Chris Mannix, the Wizards are expected to match the Nets’ offer.
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It was previously reported that the Sacramento Kings also offered Porter a league-max deal, however Porter had not agreed to terms with the team.
As soon as NBA free agency started, the Washington Wizards had a meeting with Porter attempting to work out a deal, however the two were unable to come to an agreement.
From Porter’s perspective, it makes sense for him to sign this deal with the Nets, because it’s really a win-win scenario for him. Either the Wizards have to match a a league-max offer to retain him, or he goes to Brooklyn and makes the league-max. Either way, Porter is getting paid more.
Porter really came into his own last year, showing the world why he was picked at No. 3 overall in 2013. He finished last season averaging 13.4 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, and 1.5 steals game, while shooting 51.6% from the floor, and 43.4% from three-point land. Every single one of those averages and percentages were career-highs for the 24-year-old.
There were talks for a while that the Wizards were willing to send Porter to the Indiana Pacers in a sign-and-trade deal to acquire Paul George, however right after free agency started, George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
This agreement between the Nets and Porter will make it time for the Washington Wizards to show just how committed they are to signing their burgeoning young star.
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It makes sense to be hesitant to sign him to a huge deal based off of one year, but at the same time, the Wizards don’t want to lose out on him, and subsequently a potential deep playoff run, if they let him go.