Heat free agency 2017: 4 wings Miami should target
By Simon Smith
4. Otto Porter, Washington Wizards
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Porter had somewhat of a breakout season with the Wizards.
An athletic, rangy 6-foot-8 small forward, Porter averaged 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, all career high’s. His most notable improvement came with his accuracy from long-range, converting at a 43.4 percent clip from behind three.
Porter flourished this season in his primarily role of spacing the floor and playing off the ball. Overall, 77.3 percent of Porter’s field goal’s made were converted from an assist. Furthermore, this ratio increased to 94.4 percent on three-pointers made. When you combine with his extremely low usage rate of 14.9, it clearly demonstrates that Porter is ideally suited as a terrific complimentary piece.
Also, Porter is able to make his presence felt on the defensive end. His 1.5 steals per game ranked 24th in the league, while his 2.9 deflections per game ranked 21st in the league. With an incredible 7-foot-1 wingspan, Porter would fit like a glove under head coach Erik Spoeltra and the Heat’s renowned defensive culture.
Porter’s best overall game performance this season came in a win against the Boston Celtics. Playing 38 minutes, Porter posted 34 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks.
But there’s a couple of factors working against the Heat.
First, Porter is just 24 and seen as integral part of an up-and-coming Wizards side. As their president Ernie Grunfeld noted recently:
"“We’ve said all along that we want to keep our core group of young players together and Otto is an important part of what we’re trying to do. When free agency starts, we’ll see what we can do and work things out to keep him here.”"
Furthermore, there is the asking price. As a restricted free agent, the Wizards are able to match any offer Porter receives from another team. Considering the free agent market summer, an offer in the four-year, $70-80 million range is not out of the equation.
Therefore, the Heat’s interest in Porter is likely to be dependent on how they fare with the rest of the free agent class.