B/R trade idea has Wizards acquire former MVP in odd move

As we sit roughly one month away from the NBA season, fan bases are eager to see their teams get things going. Bleacher Report recently brought one trade idea to the table for every NBA franchise ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season, with some making more sense than others. The Washington Wizards fell into the trade ideas that didn’t make much sense at all.

It’s clear the Wizards are trying to balance winning now while also continuing to develop young prospects they have on their roster. That inevitably has created some rotation logjams, and how things play out at certain spots will be among the biggest storylines around the team early in the season.

It seems as if Bleacher Report tried to address this ‘problem’, but in their attempt, they created another crowded position that will be harder to navigate than the spot they dealt away in the first place.

The Washington Wizards trading for Derrick Rose would not help

Here is how the trade idea looked:

Washington Wizards receive: Derrick Rose

New York Knicks Receive: Will Barton

Barton, who was acquired for a bargain price alongside Monte Morris in a trade with the Denver Nuggets earlier this offseason, is part of a crowded wing rotation entering the season. That much is obvious.

The veteran wing will be in the mix for minutes with youngsters Deni Avdija, Rui Hachimura and Corey Kispert at the forward position. Kyle Kuzma has his significant role secured. The idea here was swapping Barton to ease up the logjam at the forward spot and in return take a flier on an ultra-talented point guard.

While Derrick Rose is still extremely gifted on the court, the questions of recent years still exist. A flier on him makes a lot more sense for some teams than others, and the Wizards don’t make sense at all.

Not only is he a questionable fit next to Beal and someone who can’t really be relied on throughout the course of the whole season, but he also would create a new rotation problem at the point guard spot.

While Monte Morris and Delon Wright have nowhere near the pedigree and name value that Rose has, they were invested in this offseason for a reason. They’re both strong on-court fits with the Wizards roster and both are expected to take a significant step forward this season with expanded responsibilities.

Bringing in Rose would not only make the minutes far too congested but also would bring in a player who doesn’t fit on the court with the current group. The Wizards are much better off keeping Barton and seeing how things play out early in the season.

He is on an expiring contract, so could be valued at the NBA trade deadline. He also does things and has done them more consistently than the young Wizards wings don’t really do yet. That would be things like scoring night in and night out, attacking and being aggressive and making smart plays on a consistent basis.

There is absolutely no reason for the Wizards to bring in a poor fit player that would make key players this upcoming season in Wright and Morris have fewer opportunities. Especially when Barton will bring value on the court and could be a great veteran presence for some of the younger players.