Should the Washington Wizards trade with the Dallas Mavericks for guard Dennis Smith Jr.?
Dennis Smith Jr. is one of the hottest names on the trade market. The Washington Wizards could use some addition firepower, so should they try and get in the mix for DSJ?
Smith is in his second year, but clearly out shined by Luka Doncic. The Dallas Mavericks have decided that Doncic will be the focal point of the offense and rightfully so. The man has been absolutely sensational this season averaging 20.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists per game.
Dallas is handling things the correct way as they want to avoid future conflict between the two young talented players. Shipping Smith off now would land them good assets in return since he’s a highly coveted point guard.
So, why would the Wizards make a move like this? To simply put it, the future.
As we all know John Wall is getting older and doesn’t seem to be in the condition that he once was. Bradley Beal is currently demonstrating that he’s a superstar that the Wizards can build around for years to come. Tomas Satoransky has filled in nicely as the starting point guard, but he might not be the best option long-term.
If the Wizards have decided internally to move on from Wall, then the Smith trade would make sense. It would give Washington a young talented backcourt that can still allow Beal to be the center piece. An Athletic point guard that can take a back seat to Beal is exactly what the team needs beyond this season.
In addition, acquiring DSJ would give Washington more depth and firepower to help out Beal this season. The Wizards sit 2.5 games back from the 8th spot and Smith could push them over the hump.
The Mavericks are also trying to dump Wesley Matthews’ contract into whatever deal they can construct. His hefty contract would either be a piece for the Wizards to flip by the trade deadline or keep as a productive bench player for the remainder of the season.
The good news is the contract expires at the end of the season, so he could be looked at as a rental. Adding another veteran in the locker room wouldn’t hurt either.
How would this trade break down? Let’s take a look.
Washington would give up Otto Porter and his contract. Porter has played great since coming back from injury. Not to mention he plays so much better without Wall in the lineup, but we’ve all seen that Porter has a ceiling. He’s strictly a 3-and-D player and is not worth the $106 million he got this offseason. This trade would allow for the Wizards to off-load his contract and be flexible for next season.
On the other side, Dallas would have to take Porter’s contract, but Porter is a good role player that would fit in well with Doncic. Dallas needs to provide more shooters around him and Porter would address that necessity. Mark Cuban never seems to be bothered to take on pricey contracts or throw money at people. Harrison Barnes, DeAndre Jordan, and Matthews are the prime examples of that.
All in all, their are pros and cons to this trade between Washington and Dallas. In the short-term it would definitely help out the Wizards. After this season is where things would get tricky. As for Dallas, they would get a good wing player that could contribute right away and help push for a playoff spot.
Conclusion-Make the trade happen if possible.