Washington Wizards: 5 Bold Predictions for This Summer's Free-Agency Period

The Washington Wizards have not had a good year, but have made some steps in the right direction. Getting rid of Nick Young and JaVale McGee were two big steps to ridding themselves of the problem makers on the team, and adding the veteran Nene was a smart move. 

The Wizards need to have a good draft, and should select either a small forward or power forward with their first pick.

After that, the front office still has work to do to make the Wizards a contending team in the 2012-2013 season.

Address Small Forward or Power Forward

With their first pick in the draft, the Wizards would be smart to take a player at one of those two spots. In free agency, they must address the other. 

Trevor Booker has played excellent this year, but the question remains if he is a starter in this league. While he will certainly be a central part of the Wizards' rotation, they would be better served to get an upgrade at this position. 

At the small forward spot, Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton have shown that neither of them will be starters for the Wizards any time soon. Vesely needs time to develop, while Singleton needs to improve his offense. This position I would rather seen fixed through the draft, and have them try to find a decent power forward in free agency. 

Find a Reliable Shooting Guard

Jordan Crawford is a fun player to watch, but really he belongs on the bench. He is a classic streak scorer, a high-volume guy who can come in and score in bunches when he's feeling it. Washington needs to find a better fit alongside John Wall, preferably a guard who is not always looking for his shot and is a smart teammate. 

Two players who will become free agents are Landry Fields and Eric Gordon. Gordon is more of a scorer than Fields, but I think both would fit nicely with Wall. Fields especially would be a great fit. He is a big strong 2-guard who can score his share of points, but also plays exceptionally outstanding team basketball—just what the Wizards need to improve on.

Determine If Shelvin Mack Is the Answer at Backup PG

Mack has played well in his role as John Wall's backup this season, but not well enough to be a lock for next year. 

Mack has shown good skill defending other point guards in the league, but has been unable to run the second unit offense sometimes. 

Andre Miller has long been a favorite of mine for his style of play, and he would be a great leader for Wall to look up to. Veteran leadership is lacking on this team, and Miller could team with Nene to give the younger players a solid core to look up to.

Get Rid of Lewis and Blatche

I feel a little bit bad about how Andray Blatche's season has turned out, and I truly believe he can be a solid player on a good team one day. That team will not the be the Wizards, however. 

After hearing the boos rain down on him this year, Blatche needs a fresh start somewhere else.

Rashard Lewis might also benefit from a fresh start, but at this point Washington just needs to get his contract off the books as soon as possible. 

D.C. just inherited Nene's contract, so unless they git rid of these two, they won't have enough money to go after the free agents they need. 

The Wizards still have their amnesty remaining, so if they can find a way to swing a trade involving either of these players, they would be advised to amnesty the other.

Find a New Coach

Randy Wittman is not a band NBA coach, but at this point in his career it seems as if he should be an assistant. The Wizards should look for a new coach that knows how to handle a star point guard with the talent of John Wall.

Two names that come up are Mike D'Antoni and Monty Williams.

D'Antoni is famous for his Seven Seconds or Less offense with the Suns, and could make the Wizards into a must-watch team. Williams is the current coach of the Hornets, but is likely to be fired before seasons end. He handled Chris Paul extremely well, and it's not his fault that Paul is no longer there. 

If either of these two coaches go their hands on Wall and the other talent on the team, they could implement some very exciting offense systems.