NBA Rumors: Wizards Will Regret Not Using Amnesty Cut on Rashard Lewis

Thanks to the advent of the new NBA collective bargaining agreement, each team will be granted one amnesty cut where the player's entire salary will be removed from the cap. It has been said that the Washington Wizards won't amnesty cut forward Rashard Lewis, but I believe that is a big mistake.

According to one of Lewis' representatives, Colin Bryant, there has been no indication that the Wizards will exercise the amnesty clause on Lewis.

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I spoke to Washington and there is no indication they will use their amnesty on Rashard, Bryant wrote early Thursday. They have assured us they will not use the amnesty on him and he is going to be a big part of their plans now and in the future.

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This comes as a bit of a surprise as the main purpose of the amnesty clause is so teams can be rid of bad contracts. Lewis certainly has one of those as he is slated to make an incredible $46 million over the next two seasons.

If Lewis had been playing like the player he was in Orlando when he was an elite inside-out threat, then that would be one thing. Lewis certainly didn't play up to his contract with the Wizards last season as he averaged just over 11 points per game while missing 25 contests due to a knee injury.

At 32 years of age, Lewis' prime is most likely a thing of the past and his knee issues are definitely a concern for a 6'10" player. The Wizards appear to be a team on the rise, and they may value Lewis' experience, but that money can be much better spent at this point.

Washington has a very nice young core with John Wall, Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee, Jan Vesely and Nick Young should he be re-signed. With that in mind, the Wizards may already be good enough to sneak into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

But if they can find a way to add another high-impact player, particularly a combo shooting guard/small forward, they could do some real damage. Holding onto Lewis for another two years, especially if he plays the way he did last season, will be little more than a financial albatross.

If Bryant did, in fact, speak with the Wizards' front office, it is quite possible that they simply told him what he wanted to hear. At this point, though, you have to take Bryant at his word and believe that organization truly thinks Lewis is a key piece of the puzzle.

Lewis was once an extremely valuable player thanks to his ability to step out and shoot the three, but he is becoming little more than a role player at this point in his career. He would do a lot of good for a contending team as a reserve at a reduced salary, but he simply isn't a fit for the Wiz at this point.