There’s only so much time to compete for a championship. Washington’s core, for the sixth straight year, was running it back — this time, supposedly healthy, and ready to catapult atop the East with LeBron James heading to Los Angeles. The last thing the Wizards wanted to do was wait around for DeMarcus Cousins to recover from a torn Achilles, especially since there was no guarantee he would ever return to his All-Star form following such a devastating, career-altering injury.
Washington wanted immediate help — someone to replace Marcin Gortat in the starting lineup after trading the Polish Machine to the Los Angeles Clippers for Austin Rivers.