The newly signed Mike Scott is expected to give the Washington Wizards more depth while the team is expected to match an offer made to Otto Porter.
Former University of Virginia player Mike Scott has been picked up by the Washington Wizards, who will pay the NBA journeyman $1.7 million next season. Scott is a veteran NBA player and was a standout in college. The Wizards have been searching far and wide to find and sign veteran players to help strengthen the team’s bench without spending big bucks, and they may have gotten a bargain by signing Scott. During his last full season with the Atlanta Hawks, Scott had a defensive rating of 95.3 and made 39.2 percent of his attempts from three-point land. Scott has played most of his career with the Hawks and was part of the organization during their best seasons, including 2014-2015 when Atlanta racked up 60 wins. Undergoing procedures done on his left knee last year, Scott sat out most of last season with under-par stats of 2.5 points, 15 rebounds, and only a 14 percent three-point shooting average. This caused the Hawks to trade him to the Phoenix Suns, who later would waive him.
The Wizards are hoping that Scott will regain his form by the start of the 2017-2018 season and help the team grow strong with his versatile abilities. It's a bit of a risk, however, since Scott was arrested in 2015 (along with his brother) during a routine traffic stop, at which a deputy searched his vehicle and found marijuana and MDMA. Scott, however, was not charged with the possession or use of drugs as a court maintained that he was the target of racial profiling by police, who a judge determined had no business searching the car.
Once the deal has been made official and finalized, the Washington Wizards will have 14 of the max of 15 players signed. The last spot on the Wizards’ 2017-2018 roster is expected to be filled by Otto Porter who had his best season yet during 2016-2017. However, the Wizards must match the maximum offer ($106 million over four years) made to Porter by the Brooklyn Nets by Saturday, in order to retain the restricted free agent. Most expect the Wizards will do so as the franchise has left enough room under the salary cap to pay Porter the same amount the Nets have guaranteed him.
Porter is somewhat of a hot commodity this offseason; he was also offered the maximum by the Sacramento Kings, who now are out of the bidding after having signed two other players to high dollar contracts, not leaving enough salary cap room to acquire him. The Wizards are coming off a stretch of four seasons during which the team made it to the second round of the playoffs three times with Porter on board.
Since Porter had his best season to date last year and was a big part of last year’s starting five which came within one victory of making it to the third round of the playoffs, there is little doubt as to whether or not the Wizards will match the Nets' offer. The announcement will likely come Saturday.
What do you think? Is the deal with Porter as good done? Do you think Scott will be a good addition to the team? Tell us in the comments!
