
Editor’s Note: It depends on how the summer shapes out from a variety of directions—the draft, potential pre-draft trades, and the free agency of Martell Webster (among others, such as A.J. Price)—but 2012 second round pick Tomas Satoranksy could become a legitimate option for the Wizards. Washington currently has just three guards/wings under contract next season—John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Trevor Ariza. Even if Ernie Grunfeld were to re-sign both Webster and Price at affordable market rates, the Wizards’ backcourt off the bench would be extremely limited. Plus, the team might have a greater need of adding a defensive “stretch 4″ per the request of Wall, the franchise point guard.
Filling an end-of-the-bench backcourt spot with Satoransky could be akin to filling it with any other second round pick in 2013—something the Wizards seem hesitant to do—even with considering the improvements Tomas made last season playing for his Spanish club, Cajasol. Then again, if the other option is Ernie Grunfeld pulling the next Earl Boykins or Jannero Pargo out from under his chair… No thanks. Satoransky could use another year of seasoning in Spain, but he could also be a cheap option for Washington, bringing future value worth integrating into the team sooner rather than later. Satoransky is just the type of third-string player who can handle a number of guard duties with decent results while still being young enough to have promise (he turns 22 in October).
The Spanish outlet, laopiniondemalaga.es, reported last week that Spanish club Unicaja Málaga was considering going after Satoransky but balked at his 500,000 Euro buy-out from the last season of a four-year contract with Cajasol. Another Spanish club, Saski Baskonia, has also apparently showed interest in acquiring his services. Cajasol, after a disappointing season, is evidently looking to cut salary, and getting a team to pay Satoransky’s buyout could provide a reprieve from financial strain, even if he was one of their best players last season. Under the previous NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Wizards could contribute up to $500,000 USD to the buyout of an overseas player, which does not count toward the team’s salary cap. Under the new CBA, that amount increases by $25,000 each season and would be $575,000 in 2013-14 (still above Cajasol’s current asking price, which is also certainly negotiable). Washington, looking to save money in a number of creative ways under Ted Leonsis, would investigate asking Satoransky to pay for his own buyout.
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