Why the Washington Wizards should look to retool rather than rebuild

The Washington Wizards are in a precarious position at the moment as they topple between contending for a title and contending for Victor Wembanyama. Either choice is entirely valid, however, retooling may be a better option than rebuilding going into trade season.

The Wizards are in a fantastic place right now when it comes to star talent, they even have some incredible bargain contracts. They have Kyle Kuzma on a steal of a contract as he only makes 13 million a year. Even most of their role players are on smaller deals than they probably should be on. Jordan Goodwin is probably the greatest example as he remains on a two-way contract.

Having this amount of talent on a roster is not common in the NBA and they should not just throw it away due to a long losing streak riddled with injuries. Especially since a healthy Wizards team is an impressively competitive team this season, keeping up with the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers during their three-game win streak.

How the Washington Wizards should go about retooling their roster.

The Washington Wizards do have some ridiculous contracts, most notably the monstrous $43+ million deal owed to Bradley Beal. Upside is most of the other nasty contracts are extensions that kick in at the start of next season. This gives the Wizards a bit of wiggle room to improve the roster this season.

The biggest names that the Wizards should look at trading are Rui Hachimura, Will Barton, and Johnny Davis. All of these players are either high potential players for a rebuilding team or a high-quality vet that could mesh better with other teams looking to make a change.

Rui Hachimura has shown a lot of flashes of greatness in his young career, sometimes reminiscent of Danny Granger. The only issue is the fact that he is likely never going to have the chance to progress with the Wizards. This has led to some speculation that he may be traded.

A major trade target that they should target that may be a cheaper option is Patrick Beverley, a player who has had a disappointing season, but has had a major role on every team he has been a part of. He has also never missed the playoffs in his career. His defense and shooting ability could pair very well with Bradley Beal.

Another slightly more expensive option could be Gary Trent Jr, a guard who has been in his fair share of trade rumors recently. He would bring better shooting while also offering youth and good defense as well.

If the Washington Wizards decide to retool their roster rather than rebuild it, they may be able to convince newly blossomed star Kyle Kuzma to stay long term and give them numerous shots at an NBA Championship.