Despite the Wizards' winless start, forward Otto Porter has been playing well. He's averging 15.3 points per game and 7.7 rebounds through the first thee games. Porter has been inconsistent since being drafted three years ago, and so the Wizards were unmotivated to pursue a long-term extension for him before Monday's deadline.
However, CSN Washington reports that doesn't mean the Wizards don't plan on keeping Porter. Quite the opposite.
Otto Porter doesn't have an extension to his rookie contract with the Wizards, but president Enrie Grunfeld said he has talked with his small forward and intends to keep him next summer when he hits the market. "We had conversations but we want Otto here long-term," Grunfeld told CSNmidatlantic.com on Wednesday, before the regular-season home opener with the Toronto Raptors. "We like Otto. We really like what he brings to the table. He's a really good player that meshes well with John (Wall) and Brad (Beal) who like to have the ball in their hands. Otto cuts and spots up and he does a lot of little things. He makes a lot of winning plays that don't show up in the boxscore. Our intention is in the offeseason is to have Otto signed and have him here long-term."
Source: Despite no extension for Porter, Wizards intend to re-sign him 'long-term' | CSN Mid-Atlantic.
Couple things here:
1. Porter's athleticism and versatility are at a premium right now, and he has shown in previous playoff series that he can really contribute. That matters.
2. By not extending him, if he goes off and has a huge season, that's going to cost them and tie up future cap space to boot. So it's kind of a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" scenario.
3. Grunfeld intends to keep him, but depending on how this season goes, you have to wonder what the future of the organization looks like. Owner Ted Leonsis, it should be said, once again maintained his loyalty and support for Grunfeld on Thursday. But if the entire thing goes south, you have to at least wonder what the future would hold and that could impact the decision about Porter.
4. Porter will be a restricted free agent, so the best thing would be to see what he generates on the open market and then sign him. If the Wizards broadcast they intend to match (which they've done here), teams may be leery of making an offer, which could get Washington a discount.
We'll see what the future holds, but for now, count on the fact that the Wizards are big on Porter.
