Will the Washington Wizards look any different after next week’s trade deadline?
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, March 25. In all likelihood, the Washington Wizards probably made their only headline-grabbing trade this season when they swapped John Wall and a future first for Russell Westbrook. So don’t expect fireworks in the days to come.
While many teams would be thrilled to take Bradley Beal off the Wizards’ hands, it’s unlikely we’ll see Beal moved by the deadline. However, the Wizards have some other players they could offer up in an attempt to make some marginal adjustments for the season’s final stretch. Whether or not other teams want any of what the Wizards have to offer will be the real question.
Here’s what the Washington Wizards have available at the NBA trade deadline.
Washington Wizards on the final year of their deal:
- Robin Lopez
- Ish Smith
- Jerome Robinson
- Moritz Wagner
- Isaac Bonga
- Raul Neto
For teams looking to shed salary and jumpstart their rebuilds, any of these expiring deals could come in handy. None of the Wizards on their final year would really move the needle for contenders, so don’t expect any bidding wars. But these guys could help teams looking to get money off the books. Robin Lopez and Ish Smith are the most likely to go, but Jerome Robinson and Isaac Bonga have mostly faded from the rotation and could be thrown into a deal.
Washington Wizards on two-way contract:
- Garrison Mathews
- Cassius Winston
Garrison Mathews may have some value, but it’d be surprising if the Wizards moved one of the most valuable contracts on their books. Mathews’ skillset is sought after by every team in the NBA. And some will certainly be interested in the young sharpshooter this upcoming offseason, but Mathews will be a restricted free agent and fairly affordable regardless. The Wizards will have the upper hand when that time comes. Winston, who has spent most of his rookie season in the G-League, probably isn’t on anyone’s radar.
Washington Wizards with one-three years left on their deal:
- Russell Westbrook
- Bradley Beal
- Thomas Bryant
- Rui Hachimura
- Troy Brown Jr
- Anthony Gill
Bradley Beal may be the most sought-after asset in the NBA, but all signs point to him being unavailable. Westbrook has virtually no trade value given his albatross contract, and Thomas Bryant’s value is down right now as he recovers from his ACL tear earlier this season. Troy Brown Jr, however, has some value as a fairly experienced but still relatively young (21 years old) and versatile player.
If the Wizards want to make any big swings, teams will probably be asking about Hachimura if Beal is off-limits. He’s a solid second-year player, but are the Wizards willing to part ways with him before he plays 82 games, aka a “usual” rookie season? Probably not.
Washington Wizards with more than three years left on their deal:
- Davis Bertans
- Deni Avdija
Davis Bertans could have been traded for a decent haul at last season’s deadline, but his value has gone down since then. Despite a rocky start to the season, though, Bertans has recently looked like his old self and has shot 42.9 percent from three since the start of February. The length of his deal, which runs through the 2024-25 season, will turn off teams looking for a short-term boost beyond the arc.
Avdija has an incredible ceiling but has been less and less involved as his rookie season progresses. If the Wizards want to really make this Beal-Westbrook duo work, they may look for experience that can help now in exchange for a rookie (and draft picks) that could help in the future.
How likely is it that any Washington Wizards actually gets traded?
The Washington Wizards don’t have a ton of players that other teams are targeting. The few that other teams may be interested in — Beal, Hachimura, Avdija — seem to be unavailable, according to a report from Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The Wizards aren’t giving up on Westbrook this quickly (even if they could), nor are they moving on from Bertans, given what they invested in him just a few months ago. So who’s left? The scraps, really.
The Wizards have a log jam at center, and the most tradeable guy is Robin Lopez. Alex Len won’t be trade-eligible until three months after he signed (Jan. 23), which is well after the deadline, and Wagner’s value diminished when the Wizards declined his fourth-year option earlier this season. None of the three guys have really separated themselves, although the Wizards have gotten their best results with Wagner in the starting lineup. The trio down low isn’t getting it done. If the Wizards can get anything of value for Lopez, they might as well.
Troy Brown Jr could also be on the move as the most attractive of the Wizards’ young assets that are available (Brown, Bonga, Robinson, Wagner). It’s disappointing to see the Wizards essentially punting on their former first-rounder after not ever really getting him into a consistent role, but if he’s not going to work here, they might as well move on.
Ish Smith has become increasingly redundant and exposable as Raul Neto has filled in just fine while Smith has been sidelined with a quad injury. Smith’s absence has now reached 15 games and counting. It might be hard to move an injured, aging point guard, but he’s another expiring deal that would be valuable to teams looking to shed salary.
Lopez, Brown, and Smith have a combined salary of $16.5 million. That won’t land any whales, but the Wizards can certainly find someone(s) worthwhile in that price range.