Here's the Washington Post Blog reporting on the Wizards and Al Harrington:

Al Harrington isn’t young anymore. Sixteen seasons have passed since the 34-year-old was picked fresh out of high school by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft and his best years, ones that included a trip to the 2000 NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers, seven different teams and a runner-up finish in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Like any pro athlete, dealing with mortality is humbling and his first season with the Wizards yielded on-court results well below what both and he and the team had hoped as a valuable stretch four when he was signed to a one-year deal last summer. But unlike many grizzled veterans, Harrington mostly handled the aging process with grace, serving as an invaluable, savvy voice on a team primed for a breakthrough.

“It was up and down,” Harrington said to describe this past season. “I guess it’s just part of getting older in the league. … having that surgery and not knowing if I was going to be able to get back and contribute. It’s been an up-and-down road but it’s been fun and at the end of the day, I was able to prove that I still could play a high level. Don’t write me off just because I’m hurt. These young guys embraced me and even the veteran guys respected everything I said whenever I said something. That’s the utmost respect.”