The Washington Wizards have now lost five straight games and six of their last seven. The streak includes the epic meltdown against the Clippers where the team blew a 35-point lead.
They have fallen to 12th in the Eastern Conference and eight games out of first and so are now on the outside looking in for the playoffs. With the trade deadline looming, should the Wizards rethink their strategy?
Will the Wizards be Buyers or Sellers?
The Wizards are in an interesting position right now. As I said, they have fallen in the east. But, when healthy, there is a lot of talent on this team. More than enough to make it to the playoffs. There is a reason they started out 10-3. On the other hand, they currently are outside of the play-in tournament and have a tough upcoming schedule.
What it boils down to at the end of the day is how management feels and how much other teams around the league are offering. ESPN‘s Zach Lowe reported that everyone except Bradley Beal can be had. There are more selling rumors than buying ones, reports of turmoil in the locker room, and other factors, as well.
The Wizards are making “basically anyone” available for trade (other than Bradley Beal) ahead of the deadline.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 28, 2022
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(via @ZachLoweNBA) pic.twitter.com/YzuOTDVlSa
If you had asked me two and a half weeks ago if I thought the Wizards should buy or sell at the trade deadline, I would have said buy all the way. But now, I think it can go either way. If you are getting really good offers for guys like Montrezl Harrell then I think you need to sell.
If not, buy, because there is a lot of talent on this team already. It seems like things are trending towards the team selling. Maybe they need a change. At the same time, management might not want to risk upsetting Bradley Beal.
No matter what Wizards management decides to do, they can’t just stay put. Moves have to be made one way or the other. Either commit to contending in a loaded Eastern Conference or move on and acquire more assets.