Washington Wizards: 3 Wizards (not named Bradley Beal) who could get traded

No 2. – Robin Lopez

Robin Lopez signed with the Washington Wizards this offseason in hopes of helping them get back to the playoffs. But sadly, the season has gone somewhat like the tweet he sent out when John Wall was shockingly traded to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook not too long after Lopez’s signing was officially announced.

Washington decided to use their mid-level exception on Robin Lopez during the past offseason and signed him to a one-year deal worth $7.3 million. He was slated to come in and be the backup center to Thomas Bryant, who was having a career year (14.3 PPG), before tearing his ACL in the 10th game of the season. With Bryant out, Lopez has had to pick up the slack and he’s been doing a decent job. He’s averaging 8.1 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 20.4 mins of play. That’s almost identical to his career averages of 8.7 PPG and 5.0 RPG.

In late January, the Wizards were hit with a COVID-19 outbreak, and the team had to sign center Alex Len as an extra big. Len has started in the last two games, and he’s been a starter in six out of the 22 total games he’s played with Washington. As a Wizard, Len has averaged 6.4 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 14.5 mins of play. Len just recently replaced Moritz Wagner in the starting lineup after Wagner started the 13 previous games and played admirably. Wagner averaged 8.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 16.2 minutes as a starter, and the Wizards went 8-5 in that span.

However, Scott Brooks seems to be conflicted with all the depth at the center position. He can’t seem to figure out which one out of the three to give consistent minutes to. Since signing Len in January, Lopez, Wagner, and Len have each started at least six games. For that reason, the Wizards should look to trade Lopez for a quality wing player. At the moment, Garrison Mathews and Deni Advija are the top wing options on Washington. They’re both solid players but the Wizards need someone with more upside that can make an impact on a nightly basis.

The Wizards should be monitoring the 3 and D market closely. A team in the playoff hunt may view Robin Lopez as a nice, veteran, defensive big who can instantly improve their second unit. Or maybe his expiring deal will be attractive to a team looking to shed salary and rebuild. If anyone is willing to take Lopez off the Wizards’ hands, the Wizards should take advantage.