Player options are a wonderful thing.
Faced with entering unrestricted free agency without the certainty of a guaranteed contract or roster spot, players on the lower end of the NBA talent spectrum who possess a player option can eschew the chance at long-term money to secure their short-term futures.
Such is the case for Garrett Temple, who has exercised his 2015-16 player option, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Temple will now slot back in as the Washington Wizards' fifth guard, earning $1.1 million for next year.
The 29-year-old Temple is capable of manning either guard spot but primarily played at the two this season. In 52 games, he averaged 3.9 points and 1.1 assists in 14.1 minutes, knocking down 37.5 percent of his threes. If he can keep hitting from outside at that mark - he's a 32.5-percent career 3-point shooter - he'd be far more playable than he was in the playoffs, when he shot 16.7 percent from the floor in his 26 total minutes.
The Wizards have John Wall, Bradley Beal, Ramon Sessions, and Martell Webster all under contract for next year, each of who is capable of manning a guard position, and they could look to add an additional backup wing in free agency.
