John N. Mitchell of the Washington Times suggests that Richard Hamilton should wait for an extension on his rookie contract. Hamilton is coming off a career best season where he averaged 20 points per game and has stated that he wants to be involved in the rebuilding process. He has certainly positioned himself to be eligible for a big-money extension this summer, so why make him wait?

Cap room.

If the Wizards give Hamilton his extension now, the Wizards' blockbuster trade to remove the stranglehold Juwan Howard's contract had on the franchise, as well as the buyouts of the over-inflated contracts of Mitch Richmond and Rod Strickland, will have been for naught.

Mitchell writes that it has become clear that the Wizards were not focusing on the pursuit of one-time free agents Vince Carter and Paul Pierce last summer. Rather, the space the Wizards have spent the last two seasons sweeping away is for the purpose of making a run at top-tier players like Tim Duncan and Jason Kidd, the gemstones of the 2003 free-agent class. If Hamilton waits for the Wizards to re-sign him next season rather than insisting upon having his deal done this summer, the Wizards will find themselves in a win-win situation.

By waiting until next summer to extend Hamilton, the Wizards will be able to use the $10 to $12 million in cap room to entice a big name free agent to sign on. After the cap room is extinguished, then re-signing Hamilton should be a priority.

"I think it's a no-brainer [to hold off on signing Hamilton]," said an NBA source with knowledge of the situation. "Their front office has done an excellent job. They've brought in some very good young talent, players that have value. Now they need that legitimate superstar player to make it all come together."