Pushed to the brink of elimination in the second round of the playoffs, the Washington Wizards are already plotting out their offseason moves.
One player they have an eye on is Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green.
The Wizards have “long liked” Green, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe, and if the team loses impending free agent Trevor Ariza, Green could be his replacement on the wing.
Per Lowe:
Washington could work the trade market to find a capable replacement for one or both guys — a proven veteran better than the minimum-salary stopgaps, but on a cheaper and/or shorter deal than Ariza and Gortat will get. The Wiz have long liked Jeff Green, who has just two seasons left on his current deal. They could help Denver reboot by flipping one player for the combo of Wilson Chandler and J.J. Hickson, both with two seasons left on their deals.7 They could kick the tires on any number of useful wing players under contract in Minnesota and Memphis.
The Wizards and Celtics have not discussed a potential deal including Green, but the fit makes sense if Ariza walks. Green plays the same position, and as a spot-up shooter, he may bode well with the presence of John Wall‘s penetration-and-drive style.
Green also hails from outside of D.C. and played collegiately at Georgetown, which shares the Verizon Center with the Wiz.
A deal is not imminent — at this point — but the Celtics have made is clear Green is “eminently available” as the team looks to continue rebuilding their roster. Washington doesn’t have much to offer since it surrendered its first-round draft pick to acquire Marcin Gortat.
Green averaged a team-high 16.9 points for Boston, as well as 4.6 rebounds per game for the Celtics this season, playing and starting in all 82 games. He is younger than Ariza (27 years old), and is set to earn $9.45 million in each of the final two years on his current deal.
