Selling high on Kristaps Porzingis may be a great option for the Washington Wizards.
When Porzingis opts out of his contract at the end of the season, it might be costly for the Wizards to re-sign him. Especially if the Washington Wizards decide to rebuild it doesn’t make too much sense to give Porzingis a multi-year deal worth more than $40 million a year. He will be more valuable to many other teams around the league. One of these teams can be the New Orleans Pelicans.
Porzingis is an ideal fit next to Zion Williamson. Porzingis spaces the floor, opens up driving lanes and can protect the rim behind Williamson on the defensive end. He could take the Pelicans to the next level and make them a serious championship contender.
The Wizards, on the other hand, get a very talented, young wing with two-way potential in Trey Murphy III. Murphy is already a high-end rotation player for one of the best teams in the league. He is an elite shooter and a decent defender with the potential to be more on both ends of the floor.
Valanciunas and Graham are in the deal more for salary-matching purposes, but they are both solid players. Especially Valanciunas, who is on a very reasonable contract can always be traded again for a positive value.
The Wizards also get a first-round pick from this deal to later use on a young prospect or in another deal. The New Orleans Pelicans seemingly have an endless well of future first-round draft picks, not only their own but also extras from the Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks. They could be willing to part with one or two of them for a chance at Porzingis.