On July 4, the Brooklyn Nets signed Otto Porter to a four-year, $106.5 million offer sheet. If Washington fails to match, this would be the most lucrative contract the Nets have ever handed out.
After losing in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament as a Georgetown Hoya, Porter decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility and declare for the draft. This was of no surprise. Even in high school, Porter was touted as an NBA-level talent.
Porter was the third pick in weak draft. In the 2013 NBA Draft, he was selected after Anthony Bennett and Victor Oladipo, two players he is, in hindsight, better than. However, this was not always the case as his career got off to a rocky start.
Porter barley cracked Washington’s rotation for the majority of his first two seasons in the NBA. In addition, some believed he simply didn’t have a stroke from behind the arc. He shot below 30% from three-point range over the course of his first two seasons.
The Wizards coaching staff decided to give him more freedom going into his third season. Porter has become a staple in the Wizards’ starting lineup over the past couple of seasons. He has even developed one of the most efficient three-point strokes in the league.
His improvement in the past four seasons leave little reason to doubt that this upward trend won’t continue. At 24 years of age, he can currently be classified as an above-average starter.
Washington will have until 11:59 p.m., Saturday night to match the Nets’ max offer sheet. Reports have overwhelming stated that the Wizards will not back down from any offer on their starting small forward, and will ultimately match. Whether Washington truly is operating under this school of thought or not, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages of Sean Marks taking this risk.