The Washington Wizards are off to a hot start behind the stellar play of their three All-Star caliber players. They could be looking to upgrade though as they are stacked at the wing positions and may be looking to move for a point guard. Rui Hachimura is easily the best choice for a trade piece.
Rui Hachimura has been solid to start his career in the NBA. However, he has been injury prone with less than 60 games played in each of his four seasons. Two of those seasons he played in less than 50 games.
He has also not progressed at all, partially due to the elite play of Bradley Beal keeping the ball out of his hands, partially due to an improved roster around him. He has seen less, and less starting spots given to him since he started all 48 of his games in his rookie year.
On top of his dwindling role and his lack of progression, the Wizards have also added other high-quality wings to the roster in Deni Avdija and Kyle Kuzma. Both of these players are better than he is. Avdija is also three years younger than Hachimura. This has caused the Wizards to not commit to Hachimura for any long-term deal.
It looks like it may be in the best interest of both the Washington Wizards and Rui Hachimura to find a new home for the 24-year-old small forward.
There are numerous teams currently that are looking for a player like Hachimura to fill out their rosters. He is a well-rounded, athletic forward who can rebound the ball and play decent defense.
The Wizards would most likely be looking for a quality point guard in return as they have a severe lack of guards on the roster not named Bradley Beal, who has been recognized as a top player in the NBA. With the three high level scorers on the roster already, it would make sense for the Wizards to look for a more traditional guard.
The Washington Wizards could build a package around Rui Hachimura for Terry Rozier of the Charlotte Hornets.
Following an eventful offseason that still managed to be uneventful at the same time, the Charlottle Hornets may have to hit the reset button again for the second time since 2019.
They lost Miles Bridges due to legal issues surrounding the star power forward and now lack the building blocks to build around franchise cornerstone LaMelo Ball. They could look to do so by rolling the dice on Rui Hachimura.
The trade would likely have to look like this:
With Rui Hachimura being a risk for the Hornets and Terry Rozier making $21 million a year, the Washington Wizards would have to include Will Barton and a protected first round pick to make the trade happen.
This trade would improve the perimeter defense of the Washington Wizards by quite a bit. This would also allow Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma to get more catch and shoot opportunities while providing more spacing for Kristaps Porzingis.
This trade would open up the Wizards offense tremendously while also helping their defense and providing them with a quality starter at each position.
The Hornets would benefit from this trade by adding a potential building block to pair with LaMelo Ball while allowing their young star to be a true point guard in the process. This could bode well for the development of Rui Hachimura.
This trade could greatly benefit both teams.
The Washington Wizards could trade Rui Hachimura to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a veteran point guard.
Although he isn’t trade eligible until December 15, Ricky Rubio would fit wonderfully with the current roster of the Washington Wizards. He is an elite playmaker while also improving as a shooter in recent years.
A trade for the former number 5 overall pick would be pretty straight forward. Rui Hachimura in exchange for Ricky Rubio.
While the Cavaliers were nothing short of fantastic with Rubio playing last season, they are in dire need of an all-around forward to connect the dots between their high scoring back court and defensive big men.
Trading Rubio would get them that missing piece in their starting lineup while also not feeling the loss as they still have Raul Neto off their bench. This trade could help the Cavaliers elevate to a championship level.
This trade would also work incredibly well for the Washington Wizards as they gain a ball handler who can pass the ball just as well as anybody in the league. Rubio is also a good defender and would complement Bradley Beal perfectly.
This trade could also potentially help the Wizards elevate to the next level as they would mesh together as a team better with a player like Rubio orchestrating the offense.
The Washington Wizards could move Rui Hachimura for the young guard of the Chicago Bulls Coby White.
The Chicago Bulls have been struggling to start the season and it has not been due to their starters. They need a spark plug off the bench and that could be a role in which Rui Hachimura thrives.
He would be a floor spacer off the bench for DeMar DeRozen, allowing the Bulls to run different looks on both offense and defense. Moving White would also clear up more minutes for the return of Lonzo Ball.
The trade would look something like this:
The Wizards would get a quality point guard who can once again get the ball out of Bradley Beals hands. Not even Michael Jordan or LeBron James could win championships alone.
Playing in a situation where he is needed to move the ball more rather than score at a high level may also prove to be huge for the development of Coby White as he is currently deployed as a score first option off the bench.
If the Washington Wizards decide to do any of these trades involving Rui Hachimura, they could see themselves pushed higher in the hierarchy of the eastern conference.