Apr 12, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Justin Holiday (14) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards power forward Cartier Martin (20) and Wizards point guard John Wall (2) defend in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The 76ers won 97-86. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The embarrassing part of Washington’s recent slide has been the public declaration the team made that they were gunning for the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference (in case you are very unaware of the NBA’s playoff structure, only the top 8 teams from each conference qualify. Perhaps you may consider this to be pointless effort. Perhaps you may be right). I for one have said that I’m on board with this pursuit, if only because it’s more valuable for these young players to learn how to win than to marginally improve draft stock in what some people are calling the worst draft in the lottery era (since 1985), or at least since 2000. So the assumption was that while other teams would probably take their foot off the pedal, the Wizards could earn some wins and achieve the ultimate moral victory. After losing their 4th straight game tonight, that objective is officially out of reach.

So what exactly happened tonight? The Wizards have been a successful team at home all year, coming into the game with a 22-18 mark and were playing a 76ers team that had to run laps at practice if they were too successful on offense. Washington got off to a hot start, led by John Wall who scored 13 in the first quarter and held a 31-24 lead after one. But just like so many Wizards teams in the past, this one forgot that effort was required for the remainder of the game. They scored just 55 points the rest of the way, and ended shooting a semi-abysmal 41% from the field. The $27 million power forward-center combination finished with the mind blowing numbers of 16 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and SEVEN TURNOVERS. Cartier Martin led the team with 37 minutes, yet somehow finished with just 6 points, going 2 for 8 from the field. And steady-hand backup point guard AJ Price attempted a ludicrous 7 3-pointers, with zero makes to show for it. Yes, the Wizards were short-handed with Martell Webster and Trevor Ariza scratched from the lineup, but their absence doesn’t excuse this performance. Outside of John Wall (who put up another stellar performance, notching 24 points and 7 assists), no one even tried to fake interest in the outcome. The Wizards don’t deserve to be a good team until they understand all the nuances that go into doing so. If the Thunder or the Heat or the Spurs were to lay down every time they faced an inferior opponent in a generally meaningless game, they wouldn’t be heading for 60 wins and championship aspirations. Getting up for the good teams isn’t enough. All 82 games count towards the final record, and Washington made it clear they aren’t really interested in each of those contests equally. Enjoy the 9th spot Philadelphia – you deserve it.

See below for a few key points that stood out to me during tonight’s game:

•John Wall may be turning into the next Kyrie Irving – and not in a good way. Wall continues to refine his game and find new ways to score each time on the floor. He maintained his aggressiveness tonight, getting to the line 10 times. But as the game wore on, he started to get gassed from carrying the load of his eleven decrepit teammates. Let’s hope he doesn’t become the lone shining star on consistent 25 win teams – a la Uncle Drew and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

•It’s quite telling that in a game that carried no weight, Jan Vesely could still only get on the floor for a 5 measly minutes. Either Wittman was sticking to his plan to gun for the best record possible, or the former #6 pick is just not in Washington’s future plans. Given that he has no discernible basketball talent, I am not opposed to that reality but might as well use this stretch run as one final audition to find out.

•On a lighter note – booing Nick Young? Really? I get that he is a piece of the puzzle that represents a very dark era for Wizards’ basketball, but Swaggy P balanced out his head-scratching, hair-pulling moments with just as many electric, fascinating performances. He lifted us to our two biggest wins last season (vs. OKC and LAL) and always had the ability to bring us back from any deficit. No, we didn’t win a lot in his tenure, but you can’t say it wasn’t an interesting ride.

Feb 24, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Nick Young (1) shoots for three during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

For the first time since he was shipped to Los Angeles, Nick “Swaggy P” Young is finally making his return to the nation’s capital. This time, he’ll meet his former Washington Wizards squad in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform.

Unlike former members of the team such as Jordan Crawford, Nick Young actually remembers playing for the Wizards. He even spoke fondly of the franchise and their fans when reminiscing about his time playing for D.C.

To have people on the street calling me that is crazy. Fans tell me to sign, “Swagy P” instead of Nick Young. That’s cool. That’s real cool.

Wizards fans often put Nick Young in the same category as former members of the team such as Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee, and as previously noted, Jordan Crawford. I, for one, do not.

Sure, Nick Young was a character, but he never damaged the franchise as much as the players I mentioned did. In fact, at one point in time, Nick Young looked to become a solid piece to the franchise. Averaging a career high 17.4 points per game in 2011, Nick Young became one of NBA’s legitimate scoring threats.

Aside from the great point guard battle between John Wall and Jrue Holiday, we’ll definitely keep our eye on Nick Young. Unlike McGee and certainly Blatche, I’m sure the fans will give “Swaggy P” a warm welcome. After all, “That Swagy P do what it do.”

The game tips off at 7:00 PM at the Verizon Center.

The next week marks a big one for sports fans across the country with March Madness beginning, NFL free agency opening up on Tuesday afternoon, and of course, the NBA trade deadline on Thursday.

Sitting at 9-29, the Wizards aren’t going anywhere other than the lottery this season so they won’t be entering the Josh Smith sweepstakes or be among the NBA buyers this year. And it’s very likely that next Friday morning the Wizards will be sitting with the same exact roster they have right now, but Washington does have some commodities that could be sold off before then.

The Wizards roster is mostly untradeable with the young players that Ted Leonsis and Ernie Grunfeld have invested so heavily in. That means players like Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Shelvin Mack, Trevor Booker, Kevin Seraphin, Jordan Crawford, and obviously John Wall are all locks to wake up as Washington Wizards on the morning of March 16. Those seven players account for half of the Wizards roster. Of the rest, JaVale McGee has a slim chance of being traded but I’d put the percentage chance somewhere around 5 or ten percent. Ernie Grunfeld — if he’s still the team president — will have a decision to make this summer when JaVale enters the restricted free agent market, but for now I think it’s safe to say that JaVale McGee is going to be a Washington Wizard for the rest of this season. And of course there are the “veteran presences” of Rashard Lewis, Mo Evans, and Roger Mason. We already know that Rashard Lewis and his huge contract will get a buyout before next season, leaving Evans and Mason who have each had their moments off the bench and would net nothing back in return in a trade.

That right there is 11 of the Wizards’ fourteen players, leaving just three players that maybe — just maybe — could be traded by Thursday’s deadline. Those three are Nick Young, Andray Blatche, and the forgotten Ronny Turiaf.

I’ll start this off by saying this: I don’t expect any of those three to be moved, but if any current Wizards are moved, it will be them.

Nick Young has been moved to the bench and this past Wednesday he had his first productive game since Valentine’s Day when he had 19 points and a career-high six assists in the comeback win over the Lakers. He rarely passes, he’s a streaky shooter, and hijacks offensive possessions. . . So why would a team want to trade for Nick Young? The answer: it’s a no-risk move to make. Nick has an expiring contract and the team he would be going to would not have be obligated to pay him beyond this season. And while we all give Nick a hard time about his lack of assists and shooting woes, I do think he could be productive somewhere. He can defend better than most people give him credit for — just ask Kobe Bryant — and coming off the bench he can provide instant offense — think a poor man’s version of J.R. Smith. Not to mention if a team wants him, all they would have to surrender to the Wizards is a future second round pick. Now if I was Ernie Grunfeld (a scary thought, I know), would I trade Nick Young for a second round pick? Sure I would. Nick Young won’t be wearing a fresh red, white, and blue Wizards uniform beyond April anyway, and for a team dedicated to rebuilding through the draft, a second round might have some value. Maybe.

Next is the curious case of Andray Blatche. Ernie Grunfeld has acknowledged that he’s spoken to teams trying to trade the maligned power forward. However, don’t expect him to be traded. Unlike Nick Young, Blatche has three years and over 23 million dollars due to him still left on his contract and the baggage that 7-Day-Dray would bring to a team just isn’t worth it either. And I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing for the Wizards. I’ve been an Andray Blatche detractor throughout his entire career, and I’d love to get rid of him yesterday, but if Grunfeld was  able to trade him he’d have to take back another equally bad contract in return — and that isn’t what any of us want. The best move for the Wizards requires patience. In a few more months the Wizards can use the amnesty clause to rid themselves of Andray Blatche.

Finally there’s Ronny Turiaf. Yes, he’s on the roster in case you’ve forgotten. He’s back with the team and will hopefully be able to play in the next week or so after his hand injury. He’s another guy that I don’t expect to be traded, but I suppose it’s possible if a team got desperate for some frontcourt depth. Assuming he’d pass a physical, he’d be appealing to teams because of his expiring contract at the end of the year, his ability to pass out of the post, and — like Nick Young — he wouldn’t cost anything more than a future second round and/or cash.

Follow me on Twitter @KevinHineWoA