NBA Trade Deadline 2015: Should the Washington Wizards Make A Move For Phoenix’s Isaiah Thomas?

The NBA’s trade deadline is four days away. Under Ernie Grunfeld, the Washington Wizards in have diligently worked the phones this time of year. Since the Wizards made the conscious decision to begin a rebuild in February 2010, they’ve been amongst the more active teams at the trade deadline.

Given how busy the Wizards have been at the deadline historically, it’s fair to wonder if Ernie has something up his sleeves. There is actually precedent however, to suggest that Ernie Grunfeld may not make a move this year.

Grunfeld’s “Big 3” Washington Wizards who made the playoffs four consecutive years between 2005 – 2008 did not make a single move at the trade deadline during that stretch of time. The difference between the current situation and the Big 3 Wizards – Ted Leonsis’ acquisition of a majority stake hold of the Washington Wizards and Verizon Center in 2010.

Was the high level of activity over the past five years a result of normal tweaking that occurs as a roster begins to take shape, or was it a result of a conscious decision by the organization to be more active on the player acquisition front?

There are factors in play that may impact how active the Wizards decide to be:

The Summer of 2016. As evidenced by the decision to let Trevor Ariza leave this summer this past summer and the way a number of the contracts from this summer were structured, it remains to be seen how willing Ted and Ernie will be towards taking on salary that may curtail the available cap room for 2016.
Chemistry. This may seem odd given the way the Washington Wizards limped to the All-Star break, but at 33-21, they are still off to one of their best starts in over a quarter of a century. It’s very possible the front office views the recent stretch by the team as an aberration; and that after a 9-day rest at the All-Star Break, they’ll be back playing the way they did to start the season.
Scarcity of tradeable assets/players. The Washington Wizards are limited in terms of what they can offer. They have their own draft picks and a trade exemption but little in terms of tradable contracts to attach to either, which really impacts their ability to trade given how close to the Luxury Tax they are. The market for Martell Webster with multiple years left on his contract is likely non-existent. Andre Miller’s expiring contract could be attractive to a team along with a draft pick, but moving him is unlikely unless they’re receiving a point guard in return.

Prediction time! What will the Washington Wizards do?

The Washington Wizards will make a trade at the deadline and will acquire Jameer Nelson. The Wizards were reportedly close to trading for Nelson at last year’s trade deadline but opted for Andre Miller instead.

While Nelson’s play has been down this season, his contract fits into the Washington Wizards future plans (he has a player option for next season), he’ll add another ball-handler/3-point shooter to the backcourt who conceivably can share the court with John Wall, and he’s a veteran presence, which is something we know Randy Wittman loves.

That being said, and Chris Kirby pointed out as well, this isn’t the right move for the Washington Wizards.

What should the Wizards do?

Excuse me while I go into full fan mode.

With the Phoenix Suns reportedly entertaining offers for Isaiah Thomas, I think the Washington Wizards should throw their hat in the ring.

Let’s start with the fit; the team is in dire need of some offensive firepower off the bench; a combo-guard who can fill it up when John Wall and Bradley Beal are struggling. Thomas fills that need.

This team needs a player capable of getting a basket when needed; a player who you can pass the ball to and say “we don’t have anything going, gets us a basket”. Thomas fills that need.

This team needs a 3rd guard who can share the backcourt with either Brad Beal or John Wall; a player who’s just as comfortable going into scoring mode as he is going into passing mode. Thomas fills that need.

The Washington Wizards have lost a slew of close games because of this inability to rely on their bench, and their inability to put the ball into the basket consistently for four quarters. Thomas can have an immediate impact in that capacity and at 26-years-old, can add some much needed youth to the roster.

Another nice bonus to Isaiah Thomas; he shoots 39 percent from the 3-point line and attempts 4.6 free throws per game in 25 minutes of action (2.1 more than what Brad Beal attempts in 33 MPG)

How would a trade for Isaiah fit with the factors I previously mentioned as possible considerations for the Wizards?

Isaiah Thomas’s contract does spill into 2016, but it was structured by Phoenix on a declining scale. His $7.2MM currently salary is down to approximately $6.6MM in 2016, not too far off of the MLE. Also, isn’t the Washington Wizards continuing to improve and staying relevant in the upper echelon of the East Conference imperative if they want to be a real option for Kevin Durant in 2016? Is he going to be as convinced to come home if the Wizards are stuck in basketball purgatory as a 4/5 seed with an old roster in place?
Chemistry. Chemistry would be a legitimate concern. When you add a player of Thomas’ skillset to the roster, there will definitely be a change in team dynamics. Roles have pretty much been established for some time here and a primary scoring option coming off the bench would alter that. There will be games that Isaiah would cut into some playing time for Beal or Wall. There would be others games where the Wizards play small and try a 3 guard lineup. In terms of the fit with the staff, the Wizards haven’t had a point guard in his mold under this staff so it would be fair to wonder how he’d fit into Wittman’s scheme.
Do the Wizards have enough to pry Isaiah from the Suns? This is the toughest to answer. They were reportedly looking for a 1st round pick for Goran Dragic so if the price is similar, the Wizards do have a pick to offer along, with Andre Miller’s expiring contract and a filler. Is that enough? Would Phoenix want a young big man like Kevin Seraphin instead and would the Wizards be willing to part with a key part of their rotation?

The Washington Wizards at 33-21 are currently 4th in the East.

They are by no means in desperation mode, but the opportunity is there in the Eastern Conference. An acquisition for Isaiah Thomas doesn’t make the Wizards Conference favorites by any stretch, but shrinks the gap between them and the upper echelon of the conference and would seemingly increase their odds of at least matching last year’s benchmark of the conference semi-finals.

One thing I can tell you is this; I think the Washington Wizards would be better than their 0-6 mark versus the Hawks and Raptors if they had Isaiah Thomas available to them.