Decisions. Decisions. With the 2021 NBA Draft and free agency drawing nearer, the Washington Wizards will have to make some tough choices when figuring out how to reconstruct their roster for next season. After losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1st round, GM Tommy Sheppard made it clear that this team won’t be running it back. They need to be better.
The changes have already started. The Wizards have not made any changes to their roster since their season ended, but they have hired a new coach. Wes Unseld Jr. has replaced Scott Broks, ushering in a new era of Wizards basketball. Now, it’s time to build.
The NBA draft is always a good time for teams to execute trades. Just last year, there were a total of 17 draft-day trades that took place. The Washington Wizards were involved in one themselves when they traded Admiral Schofield and their 37th pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Cassius Winston (53rd pick) and a 2024 second-round pick. It was the second year in arrow that the Wizards made a trade on draft night. In 2019, they traded into the second round to acquire Schofield.
This trade did not pay many dividends, as Winston only played a total of 98 minutes all season. However, the front office may take a bigger swing this year as the Wizards try to make that jump into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.
With so much at stake next season, let’s take a look at three players who are most likely to be dealt before or during the 2021 NBA Draft on July 29…
No. 3 – Bradley Beal
I know what you’re thinking: More Bradley Beal trade rumors? Yes, but hear me out before you start to panic. The Wizards still seem entirely committed to building around Beal, so a trade is very unlikely. However, you never know! Another team in desperate need may finally step up to the plate and blow the Wizards away with an offer they can’t refuse.
If that happens, then Washington should not hesitate to pull the trigger! Bradley Beal is coming off a career year where he averaged 31.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists and finished as the second-leading scorer in the NBA behind only Stephen Curry. His trade value is at an all-time high right now! If the Wizards are going to trade him, they need to take advantage of his sky-high value.
Of course, it would be awesome if Beal could retire with the team that drafted him back in 2012. But unfortunately, that’s highly unlikely nowadays. If you believe Tom Haberstroh, who recently said on the Standing Room Only podcast that the Wizards would prefer to be more like the Oklahoma City Thunder than the Phoenix Suns, then maybe a Beal trade is coming sooner than expected. If this is true, the Wizards would be willing to part with their franchise player for draft picks and young talent.
I’m not quite sure they’re at that stage, yet but it’s always smart to keep all options open. Before or during the draft feels like too early of a time frame to trade Beal away. It’s only right for the Wizards to give him and Westbrook to run it back at least one more time. But you never know what the front office will be presented with. The perfect deal could be out there.
No. 2 – Chandler Hutchison
I’m sorry, Chandler Hutchison, but your time in D.C. may be short-lived. The Washington Wizards acquired Hutchison and center Daniel Gafford from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline this past season for Troy Brown Jr. and Moritz Wagner. The hope was that with more minutes, he could potentially be an upgrade at the wing position. But unfortunately, that didn’t quite pan out.
Hutchison received a slight uptick in minutes after being traded to Washington, but his impact was still minimal. After only playing 9.1 minutes per game in Chicago, he jumped up to 15.7 minutes with the Wizards. He averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in that two-month time span while shooting 37 percent from three and 40 percent from the field overall. These aren’t horrible percentages, but Hutchison never truly stood out, which limited his opportunities.
With a whole new coaching staff set to come in, the Wizards may choose to keep him around and hope he develops into a solid 3&D player. But time is of the essence, and Washington does not have the luxury of waiting around for Hutchison to improve. They are trying to win right now!
Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard says adding depth is paramount this offseason, so they can withstand injuries. Also, more athleticism on the wing.
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) June 3, 2021
Key quote: "I'm not afraid to take big swings."
Sheppard made it very clear that the Wizards will be adding depth this offseason and getting more athletic on the wing. I’m not sure if that’s the writing on the wall for Chandler Hutchison, but it’s pretty obvious the front office isn’t satisfied with the current wing depth on the roster. The Wizards create a package including Hutchison and the 15th overall pick to acquire a veteran player in this year’s draft. That would be ideal since the Wizards need an instant impact player that can contribute right away. Hutchison may not have the highest value on the trade market, but he’s only 25 years old entering his fourth year, so some team may take the bait.
No. 1 – Davis Bertans
No one really complained when the Washington Wizards re-signed Davis Bertans last offseason to a five-year, $80 million deal. But after just one season, it’s crazy how quickly that tune has changed. It didn’t take long for perception to switch up and now, Bertans looks overpaid, and his contract is a massive mistake. The love that D.C. fans had for the Latvian Laser has transformed into hate overnight. Ok. Hate is a strong word, but resentment at the very least.
Bertans’ poor play in his first season after securing the bag was extremely disappointing. This past season, Bertans shot 39.5 percent from the three-point line, after shooting 42.4 percent from beyond the arc the season before. The crazy part about this dip is that he attempted more three-pointers last year than he did this season (8.7 to 7.5). The Wizards were hoping to get the same (or better) Bertans from the 2019-2020 season, but he underperformed during the 2020-21, and his numbers decreased in almost every statistical category.
In 2019-2020, Bertans played 29.3 minutes per game and averaged 15.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. This past year, he only played 25.7 minutes per game and averaged 11.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. Bertans also missed 13 games due to injury after only missing nine games the previous season. Even though this one season could be an aberration, do the Wizards really want to take that risk? Yes, Bertans is unbelievable when he’s knocking down shots, but when he’s off, he’s a liability on both ends of the floor.
It may seem impossible to unload Bertans’ bloated contract, but the Wizards must exhaust all options. They should admit they were wrong and cut ties with him now. I’m not sure there are many suitors out there willing to take on the four years and $65 million left on his deal. However, it wouldn’t hurt to make some calls to gauge any interest around the league. The Wizards have many priorities this offseason, but getting rid of Bertans should be near the top of the list.