Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) pulls down a rebound against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. on April 16, 2017 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. File photo by Mark Goldman/UPI |
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Restricted free agent forward Otto Porter Jr. and the Brooklyn Nets reached agreement on an offer sheet that would pay him the maximum of $106 million over four years, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday.
The Washington Wizards have the right to match the offer to keep the 24-year-old Porter, and they have made it known they planned to do exactly that. A source confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday that the Wizards will match the offer.
The Utah Jazz also were interested in trying to sign Porter after Gordon Hayward decided to sign with the Boston Celtics earlier Tuesday.
The Sacramento Kings had offered Porter a max contract when he visited with them, but he opted for the opportunity with the Nets.
Porter had a breakout season in 2016-17, when he averaged a career-high 13.4 points to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals. He shot 51.6 percent from the field, 43.4 percent from 3-point range.
He started 80 games for the Wizards and was their third scoring threat along with guards John Wall and Bradley Beal.
Porter went scoreless in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston but bounced back with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Washington's Game 7 loss.
Nets general manager Sean Marks is 0-3 when it comes to keeping restricted free agents. He signed Miami guard Tyler Johnson, Portland wing Allen Crabbe and Houston big man Donatas Motiejunas to offer sheets last year, and all three had their offers matched by their teams.
Washington has $99 million committed to a dozen players before matching the offer to Porter. Re-signing him would increase the Wizards' committed money to $124 million. The salary cap for the 2017-18 season is just over $99 million.