Normally I treat these pieces like a reprieve from the Washington Wizards.
It’s a new week, giving everyone, including the team, a clean slate following lost games. But this week is different.
After a successful December – a month in which the Wizards won 10 of their 15 games – the Wizards climbed the Eastern Conference standings. Now, the team is 5th in the East with a 23-20 record.
There’s room for improvement, but the bench is coming together and the starting five is excelling. John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat are all putting up the best numbers of their respective careers.
But for the Wizards to take the next step and contend for a championship, they will have to shake up their roster.
The time to add another star has passed and the Wizards are somewhat stuck with what they have. Ernie Grunfeld failed to sign a top-tier free agent this past summer, leaving the Wizards with their current core and hope for development.
This week’s questions are focused on that exact topic – how the Wizards can get better, even though the time to do so has passed.
how do you see Wiz maintaining flexibility & ability to improve going forward with OPs max looming on the horizon?
— Hoops (@Hoops______) January 23, 2017
There are different variations of “flexibility.”
Some people can wrap themselves in pretzel form and others can barely touch their toes. Right now, the Wizards are stuck in downward dog and praying the yoga instructor doesn’t increase the intensity.
Washington is capped out, and as you mentioned, they’re going to pay Otto Porter the max.
They’re kind of stuck with what they currently have. Maintaining flexibility, as you put it, can only be done if they acquire movable assets, which they’ve done fairly well.
Wall, Beal, Porter, Morris and Gortat are all interesting pieces. Let’s assume the first three are locked up long-term.
Morris and Gortat are on cost-friendly contracts and both are effective. Teams could use both of their services. If they want to gain flexibility, they could potentially trade them for players who impact the cap less.
Their ability to improve will depend on internal development, which isn’t necessarily ideal. Luckily for the Wizards, the pieces they have in-place are improving at a high rate.
Wall is a 20 and 10 point guard, Beal is an almost-elite scorer and Porter is leading the league in 3-point percentage. It’s not like they’re relying on iffy pieces for development. All three players are proven and have led the Washington Wizards to a winning record.
So: 1) Keep acquiring movable, intriguing pieces, 2) Rely on internal development and Scott Brooks.
@WizOfAwes are wiz one injury to any starter away from a collapse, is there anything to be done via trade/ signing to fix that?
— Jacob Peters (@JacobNPeters1) January 23, 2017
This is a really good question that I’ve thought about a lot.
Injuries are inevitable. For the most part, the Washington Wizards have had luck on their side. Beal has dealt with some bumps and bruises, but hasn’t missed an extended period of time. The same is true for the rest of the starters.
And while the bench has increased production, having to rely on the likes of Trey Burke or Jason Smith for big minutes would be a disaster.
Washington might be able to withstand an injury to Morris or even Porter, but if Wall goes down, the team is going to be in disarray.
The Wizards could potentially trade one of their starters for more depth.
Here’s an example:
- Washington Wizards send Marcin Gortat, Kelly Oubre and protected pick to Denver Nuggets
- Denver Nuggets send Danilo Gallinari, Jusuf Nurkic to Washington Wizards
I didn’t even check if this works financially, but it’s an example of a trade the Wizards might consider.
Gortat is an effective center and Oubre has shown flashes of stardom, but Gallinari is proven and Nurkic would be the team’s big man for the future. Gallo would instantly become the team’s best bench player – and really, the best bench player they’ve had in years.
They could swap one of their starters for two solid backups, for example. That’s doable and it might be something the team considers, especially if Ian Mahinmi returns from the dead.
Is it worth it to trade a 2017 first round pick for a new bench player like Will Barton or Brandon Knight? If not, how do we improve bench? https://t.co/AbdA0wVPri
— Daniel Barish (@dmbarish) January 23, 2017
This is another example of how the Washington Wizards can improve their roster, Daniel.
The problem is, Grunfeld has earned a reputation for trading picks for immediate return. That’s not exactly conducive to winning in the future.
Will either Barton or Knight help the Wizards win a championship? The answer is probably no. Will they help the Wizards become better overnight? The answer is definitely yes.
So, what will the team value more – instant return or return in the future? Grunfeld’s philosophy and history point toward the former, which hasn’t resulted in a championship for the Wizards.
Is it worth it? If I ran things, I’d pass on trading a first round pick for Barton or Knight, who’s struggled mightily with the Suns.
There is another way to improve the bench, though: addition by subtraction.
Sheldon McClellan, Danuel House and Daniel Ochefu are still on the roster, but it hasn’t mattered.
Next: 3 Reasons Brooks Deserves More Credit
Cutting one of them – or even veteran guard Marcus Thornton, for that matter – wouldn’t hurt. Then, it would open up room for signing Mario Chalmers or someone of that caliber.