The Washington Wizards have had a slow but steady offseason and with the team filling up with young stars, it might be time for some veteran blood and that appears to be in the form of Spurs forward DeJuan Blair, who reportedly is interested in joining the team.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Wizards are interested in Blair, who is a restricted free agent. According to Yahoo, the deal would have to be a sign and trade and that could mean that Nene or Emeka Okafor could be on their way out of Washington. The Wizards have some hope heading into next season as John Wall showed last year he can develop into an elite point guard while Bradley Beal showed why he has some potential as a young guard.
Blair appeared in 61 games last season and he likely is out of San Antonio after the play of Tiago Splitter and he averaged about eight points per game over his four seasons with the team after being drafted out of Pitt. Blair barely factored into the finals against the Miami Heat, but he could provide some much needed depth and defense for the Wizards, who are heading into next year with expectations of at least competing for a playoff spot. The team could also go after a number of other players, ionclud8nig Gary Neal or Timofey Mozgov.
Gary Neal could be a solid option after he starred with the Spurs during their playoffs run last season and Mo Williams also could be solid and fit the same mold as Robinson, as he was a legit Sixth Man of the Year candidate off the bench for the Jazz, but he appears not willing to return there. Timofey Mozgov could also be an option if they want some depth up front at center. The team also likes Bradley Beal, who is young at 19 and has proven he is a solid player and after averaging 13.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 31.2 minutes per game as a rookie, the team feels that Beal and John Wall give the Wizards a bright future.
The Wizards had one of the worst records in the NBA last season while finishing with a 29-53 record and the team execs are hoping for some quick turnarounds next season. Wall led the team with almost 20 points per game and the Wiz were 28th in the league in points per game with 93 and finished in the top 10 in points allowed with 95 per contest. The team played solid defense for a team that won just 29 games and with some veterans in the lineup they could make some noise as a middle of the pack team in the east. The team ranked ninth in rebounding and 19th in assists and Wall should be able to improve on those numbers in 2013.