The Washington Wizards fired head coach Randy Wittman earlier this week to start what is expected to be a busy offseason for them. Wittman was one of the longest tenured coaches in the NBA, but now the Wizards will undergo a coaching search to find his replacement.
While the coaching search may take precedence early on, the Wizards may face a major roster overhaul this offseason too. The Wizards have a lot of guys on their roster who are free agents this offseason that they have to make decisions on. Drew Gooden is technically under contract for next season, but the Wizards have to make a decision on him too.
Gooden signed a two-year deal with the Wizards this offseason worth about $7 million, but the second year of that deal is a team option that is non-guaranteed. The deal was effectively a one-year deal, but in order to meet CBA requirements that second year option had to be there. Washington was never planning on picking up that option, and while it could still bring him back next year it is expected that the Wizards move on from him and go in a younger direction.
Gooden was initially brought to the Wizards toward the end of the 2013-14 season on a 10-day contract. Gooden eventually turned that into a full- season contract and has been with the team ever since. Last season Gooden was a key contributor off the bench for Washington, appearing in 51 games and averaging about 17 minutes per game. This year, though, Gooden was slowed significantly by injury and was held to just 30 games played and 10 minutes per game.
Despite the injury issues this year and the fact that he will be 35 years old next season, Gooden has no plans to retire. The former fourth overall pick out of Kansas will look for another place to play next season and should be able to find one as long as he can demonstrate that he is healthy. Gooden provided a huge spark for the Wizards in the playoffs last year, and in doing so he showed he still has some game left in him. Gooden only played 18 minutes per game in 10 playoff contests, but he still averaged 6.8 points and 5.5 rebounds last season so he will likely be on some team's bench next year.
