Washington Wizards: 3 players at forward to consider trading for
By Ethan Smith
Kyle Anderson: Power Forward, Memphis Grizzlies
Kyle Anderson is in the midst of the best season of his career in an expanded role with the Memphis Grizzlies. This season, Anderson is averaging career-highs in points (12.8 per), rebounds (5.8 per), and true shooting percentage (58.4). However, the Grizzlies have a crowded frontcourt. Jaren Jackson Jr will be back at some point and Brandon Clarke continues to emerge as possibly the steal of the 2019 NBA Draft. The Grizzlies could get maximum value out of Anderson now if they sell while he’s playing better than ever.
That’s all good news for the Grizzlies, but bad news for the Wizards, as they would need to pay top dollar for Anderson should he be available. If they are convinced Anderson’s improvement this season, which includes a new, fairly reliable three-point shot, is legit then the Wizards should buy even if the price is steep.
Besides, it’s Anderson’s defensive impact, not his recent offensive output, that should be attractive to the Wizards. Anderson has established himself as one of the NBA’s best defenders, and is able to switch between defending different positions fairly easily. While Rui Hachimura has shown flashes of that ability recently, he is nowhere near as reliable as Anderson on the defensive end. Anderson wouldn’t be cheap, but he would drastically improve the Wizards’ defense.
Anderson will make $9.9 million next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2022.