The trade deadline is only a month away, and with a slew of expiring contracts, mid-level salaries, and playoff aspirations, the Washington Wizards seem primed to make some moves come February 9th.
Kyle Kuzma has a player option for next season and given his performance, he is very likely to opt out and require a new long-term contract. Will Barton is on an expiring contract worth $14 million and given he is out of the rotation, he could be on the trade block. Rui Hachimura’s contract is also expiring and considering his great performances as of late, the Wizards may sell high on him rather than pay him this summer.
The Wizards also have intriguing young prospects like Corey Kispert and Deni Avdija. One of Avdija and Kispert, along with an expiring contract for salary matching purposes could make a desirable package for many teams around the league.
Which players the Wizards need to target at the trade deadline depends on where the Wizards front office sees themselves. And from what we know of the front office, they most likely see this team as a playoff team and will make moves accordingly. We can expect them to be buyers rather than sellers with a win-now approach.
Assuming this is the plan, there are a few moves the Washington Wizards can consider for help reaching their desired goal of the playoffs.
The Washington Wizards could seek to find a franchise point guard in exchange for their disgruntled star.
After having a career season that saw him become an All-Star for the first time in 2021-2022, VanVleet is struggling this year. He is having a rough shooting season with only 37.7% from the field. His and the Toronto Raptors’ underwhelming season is why he might be gettable.
VanVleet is still only 29 years old. Considering that the Wizards will have to pay Kuzma this summer if they don’t trade him now, it might make sense to move him for a player of VanVleet’s caliber. Despite being undersized, VanVleet is a rugged defender, a good shooter, and a good playmaker. As someone who can take on the more challenging defensive assignments and play off-ball, he is an ideal complementary player next to Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis.
This may be a difficult sell for the Wizards as the Raptors already have a forward heavy roster, but if they can pull it off, they would see great success behind the Wichita State alumni.
Trading Deni Avdija is an unfortunate necessity for this trade as he has shown tremendous upside and could be a major piece for any team going forward. Still, with Rui Hachimura having a recent string of success, he may be the better player to build off of going forward.
As already proven by the fact that he stormed out of the game last night, Kyle Kuzma needs to be traded soon. This is the best way to maximize the return for the All-Star hopeful.
The Washington Wizards could try to leverage their young talent for a veteran big man to help control the paint.
Jakob Poeltl is one of the most underrated centers in the league. His 7’1” frame and great defensive instincts make him one of the best rim protectors in the league. He is not the most skilled offensive big man but he more than makes up for it with this interior presence on the defensive end. He averages 12 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game for the San Antonio Spurs this season. He would be an upgrade over Daniel Gafford and would form a formidable duo with Porzingis around the rim.
Gafford has disappointed recently and has not helped to curb the Wizards nasty habit of allowing large amounts of points in the paint. With his upcoming pay day, it may be best to just move on from the big man.
Trading Hachimura hurts as he seems to be just coming out of his shell, but this may be the perfect opportunity to trade high on the young forward as this could be the highest value he ever has.
Adding Poeltl could really help the Wiz stop the bleeding when it comes to opposing teams scoring at the rim as he has a looming presence at all times when he is on the floor. He could be the missing piece to push this team to its full potential.
Trading for Clint Capela would also be a viable option for the Washington Wizards.
This would be a similar idea to trading for Poeltl. Trading for a great defensive center like Clint Capela would allow Porzingis to play power forward full-time. The Wizards can lean into their length and physicality that brought them success the past couple of weeks through offensive rebounding and rim protection. There are very few centers in the league that are better than those things than Capela.
The Wizards also manage to move on from Will Barton who has struggled in a ball handler role with the Wizards and may see more success playing off of a player like Trae Young. His shooting and defense could be huge for the Hawks
The same story with Corey Kispert, the Hawks get another catch-and-shoot sharpshooter they desperately need. This would really open up their offense for Young and Dejounte Murray. They also open up a starting spot for their young and talented center Onyeka Okongwu. This is easily a great trade for both teams.
Bringing in a fan favorite like Alex Caruso could really help more fans engage with the Washington Wizards.
Caruso is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. His physicality and defensive playmaking are unparalleled on this Wizards roster. He is a heady player that plays the right way and is a really good passer and a cutter. Most importantly, he is on a very team-friendly contract that pays him around $9 million a year for the next two seasons after this one. If the Chicago Bulls decide to blow it up and tank, the Wizards should try to take advantage and get Caruso. A winning player of his caliber would do wonders for this team.
This is also a ridiculously low price for a player of Caruso’s caliber and playstyle. Yet, it still makes sense for both teams as the Bulls may need to move on from winning players.
This would greatly help the Wizards; they are currently the NBA team with the lowest fan attendance rate. Adding a fan favorite like Caruso should really boost those numbers as he proves year in and year out that he helps sell tickets and jerseys.
If the Washington Wizards decide to roll with any of these trades, they should see themselves gain a better record almost immediately. These are all trades that will greatly boost the quality of their roster.