People were confused when the Wizards decided to offer Jason Smith a three year, $16 million deal over the summer. Washington already had two highly-paid centers on the roster, and they have two young, athletic players who could man the 4 spot ahead of him.
But you know what? As your fifth big man, he makes sense. He has enough strength and rim protecting skills to be a serviceable center when asked, and he has a solid enough jumper to space the floor at power forward in the right situation. He may not be everyone’s first choice, but he just might be the perfect guy for the Wizards in an emergency.