Washington Wizards: 4 Names to Keep an Eye on Ahead of Trade Season
Two Birds, One Stone
The Detroit Pistons are one team that should be playing better than the Wizards this season. And for whatever reason, they’re only one spot above them in the Eastern Conference standings at 8-14.
Blame it on coaching, blame it on the roster, but something’s got to change.
Not to mention Andre Drummond’s expiring salary, which isn’t doing the Detroit front office any favors. He’s made it clear that he’s willing to stay with the Pistons, but that he’s expecting to be paid for his loyalty simultaneously.
If Detroit is preparing to hit the panic button and blow it up, Washington makes a lot of sense as a potential trade partner. The salaries of Smith, Bryant, and Mahinmi nearly match those of Drummond and veteran point guard Derrick Rose.
This would be the ultimate buy-in, win-now move for the Wizards.
They bank on an expiring center, arguably top-5, in hopes of crashing the Eastern Conference playoff picture. And with Rose, who’s been experiencing somewhat of a renaissance here recently, you get a way more qualified sixth man who’s averaging 15.9 points and 5.8 assists per game.
Some sort of longterm commitment to Washington from Drummond would be nice, but sometimes those deals require an initial leap of faith from the front office.
The Pistons’ big man is currently averaging 17.3 points and 16.8 rebounds per game, numbers that make Bryant look just as he is: young and inexperienced.
Grabbing a guy who can grab you a double-double even on his worst nights, is just the kind of talent that would fit like a glove behind Beal. And then when Wall returns, well if he’s healthy, you’ve got a Lob City-esque remix.
The Pistons have long been teetering on the line of competitive and flat out disappointing. Their infrequent visits to the postseason are almost always met with embarrassment, and their 8-14 start to this season is no different.
Opening up cap space while maintaining a core featuring young guards Bruce Brown and Luke Kennard, and Blake Griffin isn’t a bad outcome for the Pistons.
Washington Wizards receive: Andre Drummond, Derrick Rose
Detroit Pistons receive: Thomas Bryant, Ish Smith, Ian Mahinmi
Next. 4 center solutions for the Washington Wizards. dark
The NBA’s trade season is fast approaching, and the Washington Wizards don’t necessarily have a choice on how active they’ll have to be. Their lone All-Star is drowning in the floods of mediocrity, and they need to find him some help before he finds shelter elsewhere via trade.