The Washington Wizards have been one of the most active teams this offseason. They reshaped their roster to make it younger and more dynamic as they go into a rebuilding stage. They made significant progress in terms of trading away their veterans who have trade value to bring in players who fit their timeline better. However, they still have a few valuable trade assets that can help them land exciting, young players.
The Wizards are not ready to win or be competitive as their roster stands now. They are making roster decisions based on where this team will be in a few years. That philosophy of building for the future dictates all the personnel moves the front office is making.
In that manner, the Wizards have players like Tyus Jones, Delon Wright, Danilo Gallinari, and Landry Shamet who are more useful for a playoff team than they are for Washington. They all have intriguing skill sets that can help teams who are trying to win right away.
The fact that Jones, Wright, and Gallinari are all on expiring contracts is appealing to many teams. Since most championship-hopeful teams are expensive and in a financial crunch, bringing in a player who they can re-sign for cheaper next offseason makes a lot of sense, especially if they are only parting ways with young players who are not parts of their rotation.
One way for Washington to trade for exciting young players is to be open to taking on bad contracts. Teams around the league are likely to give up young players of value if it means they can dump their overpaid players along the way. The Wizards not only have cap space and financial flexibility, but they also possess two trade exceptions, one from the Rui Hachimura deal and the other from the Monte Morris trade.
The trade exceptions make it easier to match salaries in a deal as well. The Wizards can take on these bad contracts into their trade exceptions while adding a young player without sending matching salaries.
This opens the door for some fascinating in-season trades for Washington. Let’s explore a few of them.