Washington Wizards: The Wizards need to trade Otto Porter Jr.

It hasn’t been long, but it’s time for the Washington Wizards to move on from Otto Porter Jr.

The Washington Wizards have won two consecutive games and look to make it a third against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This offseason the Wizards matched a 4-year, $106 million dollar contract by the Brooklyn Nets to retain Otto Porter Jr., who hasn’t contributed much this season.

In hindsight, I can understand why the team made the move since Porter was coming off his best season averaging 14.7 PPG and shooting 44.1% from 3-point land. The organization assumed that he would continue progressing, but that hasn’t been the case.

It’s only been 12 games, but the writing seems to be on the wall. He’s only averaging 10.3 PPG and shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc, which is one of his worst since the 2015-16 season.

Against the Orlando Magic we were able to see that Porter wasn’t being used at the end of the game, it was Kelly Oubre Jr. These two are practically are splitting minutes, but it’s being displayed that Scott Brooks and the coaching staff trust Oubre more when the game is on the line.

Oubre is averaging 2.3 minutes less than Porter and is producing 1.8 PPG more than him. Obviously these are small numbers, but in games they have significance. I know the argument will come up that Oubre hasn’t been shooting the ball well from deep either at 29%. However, his defense is on another level and the way he meshes with the starters is more fluid.

In the last three games, Porter hasn’t scored more than 8 points. On top of that, he’s only reached double-figures in four games this year.

This was the year Porter was suppose to showcase why he’s worth the money and has done so rather poorly. He’s made it clear that he’s going to be nothing more than a 3-and-D player, which is fine, but not what the Wizards need at this point.

Washington was hopeful that his offensive game would elevate to the next level and that Porter would be that third option that the team was seeking. It’s been extremely disappointing to watch, but he’s never going to be that player for the team.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a solid role player, but that’s all he will ever be. Personally, I was pulling for him to have a career year and possibly average around 17 PPG. My hopes have faded and so has the faith of most D.C. fans.

All Porter has done is been out shined and outplayed by Oubre and Jeff Green, who has also been producing more with less time. Porter’s minutes are going to continue to slide to these two individuals going forward if he can’t further expand his arsenal.

Of course the Wizards are going to see this one through as long as they possibly can. They need to consider moving his contract before the trade deadline if this trend remains the same.

He’s still a young piece that most teams would consider having on their rosters. A trade would be nothing but positive. Washington would possibly receive some young talent, draft picks, or valuable assets that they could use this season. Any help on the bench would be greatly appreciated.

The Wizards also need to instill some faith in Oubre so that he feels wanted in D.C. long-term. As long as Porter is in the picture, Oubre will walk once free-agency hits. It will come down to choosing one or the other. And as of right now, Porter is not the right decision.