Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Exploring Minor Trades and Free Agency Signings

Washington Wizards seem to be locked into their current group of players, but that doesn’t mean their plan isn’t going to be a winning one.

For the first month or so of the season, it appeared like the Washington Wizards would find themselves near the bottom of the Eastern Conference after whiffing on every top free agent on the market.

Things didn’t go according to plan for the team in the off-season. They missed out on all franchise-altering players and their decision to revamp the bench turned out to be a disaster.

But despite the trouble, the Wizards have climbed out of the hole and are sitting in the sixth spot in the East.

The race is tight, but for now, the Wizards are right there with everyone else.

For the Wizards to remain in the hunt, the team has to keep playing above .500 basketball, just as they did in December.

It’s a new year, but the Wizards have to stay on the same path.

We’ll start this week, as always, with some of your questions.

is that now the plan unless they trade one or more of those guys?
— Fuck D Rose (@jabz_gbosa) January 2, 2017

To add context, the reader above asked what the Washington Wizards’ plans are for the future, given that they’ll have three players on max contracts once Otto Porter signs his in the not-too-distant future.

The front office seems pretty adamant about keep the core group of players together.

For what it’s worth, the core is experiencing career-best seasons, at least individually.

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John Wall is on pace to become an All-NBA player for the first time in his career, while Bradley Beal and Porter are playing at an All-Star level.

Theoretically, Wall will continue improving his game. He’s shooting a career-high from virtually everywhere on the field. Plus, he’s only 26.

The same can be said for Beal and Porter, who aren’t even close to hitting their respective primes.

Change isn’t always necessary for growth.

Would adding another All-Star help the team? Of course. But the Washington Wizards can’t get one via trade with their current assets.

The Sacramento Kings, for instance, would likely pass on trading DeMarcus Cousins to D.C. because the Wizards don’t have what it takes to get a player of his caliber.

That’s another thing: development increases trade value.

Let’s say Porter becomes an All-Star next year. His trade value would be through the roof. Then, the Wizards could create a package for a star.

The team is convinced that the core can win games and it’s true – they can. We’ve seen Wall, Beal and Porter take the Washington Wizards to the semifinals. Really, the Wizards were seconds away from potentially pushing the Atlanta Hawks to a Game-7, giving themselves an opportunity to play in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Washington wants to stick with what they currently have unless they can get a true star in return. It’s a bland plan, but the pieces in place are exciting, I think.

The trade deadline is right around the corner and the Washington Wizards are usually pretty active around that time.

As you said, the team won’t be giving up any of its core pieces, so a trade for a star is off the table.

That leaves the team with minor deals – as they’ve been a part of for years.

When the team desperately needed a point guard, they shipped Jan Vesely to Denver for Andre Miller. Last year, when the team lacked a stretch four, they acquired Markieff Morris from the Suns.

This season, the Wizards need help everywhere. It’s not just one position.

Washington could look to dump one of their free agent signings – like, say, Andrew Nicholson, for someone who isn’t getting playing time.

Omri Casspi has been sitting on the Kings’ bench and would immediately become a rotation player in D.C.

The Wizards could also look to the free agent market for help.

Mario Chalmers is still available. He’s capable of playing both the one and two. Washington has three undrafted rookies under contracts – none of whom are consistent parts of the team’s rotation. They can cut one of the rookies, get below the league limit for players allowed on a roster and sign Chalmers, for instance.

It might seem like the Washington Wizards are locked up with their current group – and they pretty much are – but there’s still some room for flexibility.

Next: Wizards Regained Fun Element, Started Winning Games

Teams won’t be calling up about Nicholson, for instance, but every player is capable of being dealt. Gilbert Arenas and Rashard Lewis got traded. Nicholson, Jason Smith, Trey Burke and Ian Mahinmi can be traded, too.