Washington Wizards: 4 rim protectors to monitor during trade season

So far this season, the Washington Wizards have had a lot of issue defending the rim. Part of this is a lack of players who truly fit the bill for shot blocking big men. Luckily, trade season is just beginning and there are plenty of available centers on the market.

Kristaps Porzingis is a great shot blocker; however, he is almost exclusively a helping protector, meaning he is best fit for blocking shots from other players assignments and not his own. He sometimes struggles to defend the rim against centers in one-on-one situations.

The Wizards have recently discovered that they are much better when he is paired with a defensive minded center. They moved Daniel Gafford to the starting five in exchange for Deni Avdija and it has worked phenomenally.

Even with their newfound success, the Washington Wizards still aren’t quite good enough.

Earlier this season the Washington Wizards set an NBA record for most points allowed in the paint against the Nuggets with 98 points. This was largely due to lack of size on the roster without Porzingis, but it still should not have happened. Especially when the Golden State Warriors don’t have that problem despite their much smaller roster.

This broke a record set by the Washington Wizards just a couple seasons ago. Giving Gafford real minutes is clearly not enough to fix this issue. They need more help around the rim, and they need it now.

Thankfully, there are plenty of skilled big men on the trade market this season as many teams are looking to sell with their eyes on Victor Wembanyama.

The Wizards also have plenty of trade pieces with Kyle Kuzma looking to join a big market franchise this offseason. Pairing him with Will Barton and/or Rui Hachimura would allow them to trade for any player no matter the contract.