Jodie Meeks Agrees With Wizards on 2-Year, $7 Million Deal
Washington takes a chance on Meeks in order to add to their bench unit.
While the bigger named free agents continue to make their way through the market, the Washington Wizards make an under the radar signing that is more in their price range. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Jodie Meeks has agreed to terms with the Wizards on a two-year, $7 million deal under the Bi-Annual Exception.
Jodie Meeks 2016–17 Stats:
36 games, 9.1 points, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 40.2 field goal percentage, 40.9 three point percentage, 87.8 free throw percentage
Fit:
Last season, the Washington Wizards had one huge flaw that appeared even more evident as the playoffs progressed. That flaw was Washington’s bench production. According to Hoops Stats, the Wizards ranked 29th in both bench minutes with 15.2 minutes per game and points with a lackluster 26.6 points per game.
Before free agency started, the Wizards nabbed their backup point guard in Tim Frazier from the New Orleans Pelicans, so the acquisition of a backup shooting guard was their next priority. So how does Jodie Meeks fit? Well, the main thing the Wizards’ bench unit needed was someone who could score and more importantly be a volume shooter. While Meeks fits that bill, the big question mark around him is can he stay healthy?
In the past two season, Meeks has only played in a total of 39 games for both the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic. Consequently, the last time Meeks proved his worth as a consistent scorer was when he averaged back to back double digit points during the 2013–14 season (15.7 points per game) and 2014–15 season (11.1 points per game). This certainly seems like a low risk scenario for the Wizards judging on the contract size.
Unfortunately, general manager Ernie Grunfeld has been known to make these kind of moves for players that don’t generate any type of market. Look no further to the signings of Gary Neal and Marcus Thornton. Two players that had similar characteristics as Meeks, shooting capabilities, low risk, not much of a market and a discouraging prior season to justify their signing.
However, if, and that’s a big if, Meeks can stay healthy then there’s no reason he can’t come in and have an impact off the bench. He will be the primary shot creator for the bench unit, because it appears Washington will let restricted free agent Bojan Bogdanovich walk. Plus Meeks could be implemented into a small ball unit that he could thrive in because of the ever so kind John Wall factor. So a healthy Meeks is more than capable of putting up points, it’s just a matter of can he stay healthy long enough to prove his worth again.
Yes, the signing of Meeks wasn’t the sexiest, but Washington has minimal cap space so expectations should be very low. If the Wizards cannot find a way to shed some of their bigger contracts then this is the reality they live in.
Grade: C-
