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Washington Wizards Trade Rumors: Wizards Discussed Trades For Ryan Anderson, Miles Plumlee

By Ben Mehic

Feb 4, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) reacts after scoring against the Los Angeles Lakers during a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Lakers defeated the Pelicans 99-96. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) reacts after scoring against the Los Angeles Lakers during a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Lakers defeated the Pelicans 99-96. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards Trade Rumors: Team Discussed Trades For Ryan Anderson, Miles Plumlee

Are you ready to lose some sleep?

For die-hard NBA fans, there isn’t a better time than the NBA Trade Deadline. Although you’ll inevitably miss some deals that fall through the cracks, this time of year is full of action and suspense. Everyone is feverishly refreshing Woj’s Twitter page, hoping a blockbuster deal got completed.

In reality, though, the trade deadline rarely lives up to expectations.

Teams are constantly communicating and it takes time to craft deals. So when a star player is mentioned in trade rumors, there’s a solid chance he’s going to stay put. I mean, when was the last time a legitimate star player got traded on deadline day? It’s rare, to say the least.

Nevertheless, the potential for blockbuster deals is there — especially this season.

The likes of Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin have all been in the rumor mill. Of all the aforementioned players, Howard is the most likely to get traded, which could create a domino-like effect.

The rest of the teams — like the Washington Wizards, for instance — will wait for the large deals to get completed and hope to pounce when others get desperate. Before the deadline, teams with assets usually like to hike up the price of the players they have on the block. Others will hope the asking price declines and a deal is completed before the deadline is over.

The Wizards likely won’t be involved in any major deals, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be involved at all.

Ernie Grunfeld does a good job of keeping his cards close to his chest and has always seemed to get involved in some capacity on deadline day. Last year, the Washington Wizards acquired Ramon Sessions for Andre Miller in a deal that really boosted the team’s depth right before the playoffs.

This year, the Wizards are looking for a similar deal — one that will help them increase their depth and hopefully make one last push towards the playoffs.

According to the all-knowing Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Wizards have discussed trades for Ryan Anderson and Miles Plumlee:

"Washington has talked with New Orleans on a deal, sources said, but paying Anderson the $16 million-plus he can get on the market this summer would preclude the Wizards from clearing the max salary space it needs to pursue Kevin Durant.Washington could revisit talks with Milwaukee on center Miles Plumlee closer to Thursday’s deadline, should the Bucks be unable to find a larger deal on the market, sources said."

Here’s why a deal with the Pelicans for Ryan Anderson is unlikely:

  1. He’s going to get paid — like, way more than he’s worth

I like Anderson’s game. He’s the prototypical stretch four and could drop 17+ points each night with solid contribution on the glass. But he’s not a great defender. He’d make $16 million annually. He’s simply not worth that.

However, if the Wizards could get him without giving up Otto Porter or Kelly Oubre, I’d probably pull the trigger.

More from Wiz of Awes

A rental wouldn’t be the worst idea.

The Wizards should be willing to attach a protected pick.

If things don’t go according to plan in the summer, the Wizards could look to re-sign the forward.

I honestly don’t think he’ll get that much money on the market, but the Wizards think otherwise.

As for Miles Plumlee, well, he’s a third string center if the Washington Wizards keep Nene.

Plumlee is just a better version of Ryan Hollins, who was a Wizard for a couple of weeks earlier this season. He’s a bit more coordinated, though. Sorry, Ryan. Plumlee does a solid job of running the floor, catching lobs and protecting the rim. He’s not the worst option as a third string center.

In a recent interview, John Wall mentioned the team’s need for an athletic big man. Plumlee, in theory, would fill that need:

"Wall said he doesn’t know whether they will make a trade before Thursday’s deadline but believes the team needs an athletic, physical big man."

That’s kind of depressing, isn’t it? Wall wants an athletic big man, so the Washington Wizards deliver a third string center. But that’s kind of what the Wizards do. They surround their franchise player with below average talent and hope his awesomeness rubs off on them. Sadly, that won’t help the team win games.

Next: Wizards Midseason Review: Can We Have A Mulligan?

The deadline is still over a day away and the rumors are starting to heat up. The Wizards desperately want to make the playoffs and I’d be shocked if they don’t make a move. Do any of the mentioned names interest you? Let me know.

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