Should the Wizards Take on Large Contracts for Draft Picks

With many teams looking to clear salary cap space to pursue star players, the Wizards are in prime position to receive draft compensation to take on large contracts.

With the NBA Draft just hours away, the league’s rumor mill is swirling. Multiple teams are looking to add star talent to their rosters as the NBA is the most wide open in years. However, in order to do so, teams need to clear salary. The Wizards are in position to take full advantage of this.

Next year for the Wizards is expected to be a down year. They are not receiving any interest from top free agents and they do not have a lot of cap space to work with. Also, it is unknown when John Wall will return from his achilles injury. The Wizards should look to add talent through the draft.

In order to do so, the Wizards should be exploring the trade market to see if any team would give up their first round pick for them to take on large contracts. Assuming the Wizards deny Jabari Parker’s team option, they will have roughly $50 million in cap space to fill out their roster for next season.

Because the Wizards do not have a large amount of cap room, gigantic contracts will be out of the question. Also, the Wizards will likely look to build a contending team for the 2020-2021 season when everyone is healthy, so contracts that end after next season should be primary targets.

Here are some possible teams who could be looking to dump salary:

Oklahoma City Thunder

It has been reported that the Thunder are looking to unload players like Dennis Schroeder, Steven Adams, and Andre Roberson to clear some cap space. The Thunder have the 21st pick in the draft and it could be in play for the Wizards if they take on one of those players.

Schroeder and Adams have very large contracts that may be too big for the Wizards to take on. Also those two players were key to their team last season and the Thunder may be less reluctant to just dump their salaries.

However, Roberson could be in play. His contract is only for one more year, making him $10.7 million next season and then setting him up for free agency in 2020.

Roberson, while a great defender, is not known for his offense. In 2017-2018, he averaged just 5 points and 1.2 assists per game. His free throw shooting is also one of the worst in the league. Roberson has been riddled with knee injuries over the last two seasons, only playing 39 games in the 2017-2018 season and missing all of last season. It is safe to say that, recently, Roberson has not been a key member of the Thunder.

The Wizards should explore taking on Roberson’s contract for the Thunder’s first round pick.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers traded their first round pick to the Pelicans in the trade that landed them Anthony Davis. However, they are trying to sell some of their contracts in an attempt to add another max player to their roster. One notable player they could be looking to trade is Moe Wagner.

Wagner was the 25th overall pick in the 2018 draft. He is a young and developing player with a rookie contract meaning he is set to make just $2 million next season.

Wagner did not receive a lot of playing time last year with the Lakers, averaging 10.4 minutes per game in 43 games. He averaged 4.8 points and 2 rebounds per game.

Wagner has potential as the nearly 7-footer has the ability to stretch the floor with his respectable jump shot. The Wizards could use their down year next season to develop him. They should seriously consider trading for him.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks had one of their best seasons in decades last season. However, their All-Star, Kris Middleton, is a free agent and set to receive a huge payday. The Bucks are looking for cap space flexibility to remain a top team in the east. They are looking to sell Tony Snell and Ersan Ilyasova, with their 30th overall pick in the draft as possible compensation.

Snell and Ilyasova are bench players who lack potential as they are both veterans. Snell will make $23 million over the next two years assuming he opts into his player option in 2020. Ilyasova will make $14 million over the next two seasons.

Trading for one for both of these players may not be wise as it could create salary cap conflicts for the Wizards next summer and they are not players who can make a real impact on the team.

If they Wizards decide to take one of these trades, it will increase the likely hood that their free agents, such as Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker, and Tomas Satoransky, will not return next season as they will be harder to afford. However, it could be worth it if the Wizards are able to get another first round pick.