The Washington Wizards have reportedly made it known that offer sheets for restricted free agent Otto Porter will be matched with haste. On Tuesday evening, the Brooklyn Nets put that theory to the test, as the team reportedly came to an agreement with Porter on a four-year offer sheet with more than $100 million.
RFA Otto Porter has reached agreement on a four-year, $106M max deal with Brooklyn Nets, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 5, 2017
It is important to note that this doesn’t necessarily mean Porter is going to be a Net. While the Wizards can let him walk, they would retain his services if they decided to match the offer sheet. Either, way, Porter is in line to get paid.
Throughout the process, Brooklyn has served as a theoretical destination for highly paid free agents and it is fitting that the Nets would provide the first max deal to a restricted free agent this summer. Hours before the deal was reportedly consummated, the Utah Jazz set a meeting with Porter in an effort to replace the now-departed Gordon Hayward, but the Nets swooped in with the hopes of preventing that conversation from taking place.
Porter hits the market as a 24-year-old and he is a former No. 3 overall pick with a tantalizing skill set. The former Georgetown forward enjoyed a breakout season in 2016-2017, when he knocked down 43.4 percent of his three-point attempts while taking advantage of the NBA’s movement toward putting a premium on “3-and-D” players.
The notion that Otto Porter is a “max player” is one that many NBA fans will wrestle with but Porter will now be paid on that level and the only question is whether the Wizards will match or he will end up in Brooklyn.
UPDATE: Brooklyn’s hopes of acquiring Porter appear to be short lived. Chris Mannix reports that, while the price is very steep, Washington intends on bringing Porter back.
Wizards had hoped to work out something more cap friendly with Otto Porter, but they intend to match Nets offer, sources tell @TheVertical.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) July 5, 2017
This is a massive financial investment for Washington, and it is important to note that the Wizards’ front office could eventually decide that forking over this much cash for Porter is too much. But for now, it looks like John Wall and Bradley Beal won’t lose their running mate, while Brooklyn will have to look elsewhere if it wants to make a splash in free agency.
