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One of the big problems for the Washington Wizards last season was there lack of depth inside. The interior was so bad that Drew Gooden and Al Harrington provided significant boosts in-season when added to the rotation. As they get serious about being a force in the East after a second round appearance in the playoffs, the Wizards don't want to appear to be too anemic inside this season. They re-signed Marcin Gortat, they brought in Kris Humphries, and now it looks like DeJuan Blair is coming to town.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com is reporting the Wizards are completing a sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks to bring in Blair as a reserve forward. Blair gave a boost to a weak Mavericks' interior last season as they grabbed the 8-seed and took the Spurs to seven games in the first round.
Wizards staying busy: ESPN sources say Washington and Dallas Mavericks on course to finalize DeJuan Blair sign-and-trade deal later today
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 16, 2014 After four seasons with the Spurs, Blair joined the Mavericks as a minimum player. He ended up playing in 78 games for Dallas, starting 13 of them, and played in six of the seven playoffs games with a one-game suspension keeping him out of the other. Blair averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 15.4 minutes for the Mavs. He'll add to a frontcourt that includes Gortat, Humphries, Nene, and Kevin Seraphin.