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.
Wizards receive: Bones Hyland, Nicolas Batum
Clippers receive: Tyus Jones
The Los Angeles Clippers are desperately looking for a starting point guard. They already tried to trade for Malcolm Brogdon this summer before the deal fell apart. In this trade, they get a starting-caliber point guard for cheap.
Tyus Jones is the table-setter the Clippers need. He doesn’t take anything off the table, can run the team’s offense, and put Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in a position to succeed. He doesn’t need to score the ball or do too much on-the-ball on the Clippers, and that is a perfect fit for Jones.
In return, Washington gets Bones Hyland, a 22-year-old shifty combo guard. Hyland was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the 2021 NBA Draft and was traded to the Clippers last season. He has potential as a microwave scorer and shot creator but he needs time, patience, and on-ball reps.
The Wizards can offer that to Hyland better than the Clippers. Hyland can explore the studio space and can show what he can do running an offense in Washington. He needs a low-stress, low-expectation environment to thrive for now and the Wizards are the right team for that.
Additionally, Wizards receive Nicolas Batum, a solid two-way veteran, mostly for salary-matching purposes. They would ideally agree on a contract buyout so that he can sign with a contender again.
Wizards receive: Deandre Ayton
Suns receive: Delon Wright, Danilo Gallinari, Daniel Gafford
The Phoenix Suns are in need of depth and have shown a willingness to trade away Deandre Ayton to achieve that. In this deal, they would get three rotation players to solve their depth issue, while Washington gets a two-way center with a high upside.
Ayton needs a change of scenery and a fresh start more than any player in the league. He is a very talented player with a lot of potential, but his relationship with the Suns organization has severed to a point of no return. Trading him might be the only option.
However, his contract that’s paying him $32.4 million for next season makes him difficult to trade. The Wizards, on the other hand, may be willing to pay him that salary.
Deandre Ayton would immediately raise the ceiling of this Wizards team. He is still only 24 years old, one of the best interior scorers in the league, and a solid defender. He can be rehabilitated in a different situation and look a lot better in a different uniform. He still managed to average 18 points and 10 rebounds with very good efficiency last season.
In return, the Wizards send Wright, Gallinari, and Gafford to Phoenix. Wright and Gafford can start next to Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant, while Gallinari can provide size and shooting off the bench. Considering Phoenix’s lack of established two-way playoff players, Wright and Gafford could be especially helpful for their playoff hopes.
Breaking up Ayton’s contract into three separate deals also makes financial sense for them, creating much-needed flexibility in their books.
Wizards receive: Markelle Fultz
Magic receive: Tyus Jones
Markelle Fultz and Tyus Jones may be similar-caliber players but they fit better on their new teams if this trade occurs.
Fultz may not have reached his potential as his career was sidetracked by injuries, but he is still a valuable combo guard with upside. His jump shot has completely abandoned him, and he will likely not find that shooting stroke again. But, he is still only 25 years old and has shown his ability to stay healthy when he played 60 games in the 2022-23 season.
Former no. 1 overall pick in 2017, Fultz will likely never be the offensive engine people were hoping he would become. Yet, he successfully changed his game and became a wonderful perimeter defender and a solid playmaker.
This profile of a combo guard fits well next to Jordan Poole. Fultz can guard the other team’s best guard and Poole can run the show offensively. He is not as good of a floor general as Tyus Jones, but Fultz certainly has more upside and two-way ability. Fultz still has good size, strength, and athleticism. If he can continue staying healthy and improve his shot to a respectable level, he could be a long-term piece for the Wizards.
For the Orlando Magic, Tyus Jones is a good fit next to their future stars. They already have two shooting-challenged guards in Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black, making Fultz redundant. A veteran point guard like Jones who is a steady hand on offense can do wonders for that team.
Wizards receive: Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Tim Hardaway Jr.
Mavericks receive: Corey Kispert, Delon Wright
One player that the Wizards can involve in trade talks to receive a younger player with a higher upside is Corey Kispert. The 24-year-old sharpshooter has proven himself to be a solid rotation player who can contribute to a playoff team. The Dallas Mavericks could be one of them.
Dallas needs to put as much shooting and defense as possible next to their stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. This trade accomplishes that.
Kispert can start for Dallas and immediately be their best shooter.
Delon Wright, on the other hand, provides the toughness and defense the Mavericks lack on the perimeter. He can play next to both Doncic and Irving or just one of them in bench-heavy lineups. He can easily be in the closing lineup in certain matchups that require high-level guard defense.
Moreover, Dallas gets out of Tim Hardaway Jr’s remaining 2-year deal that pays him $17.8 million for next season.
In return for all of this, the Wizards get Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the 24th overall pick of the Dallas Mavericks in the 2023 NBA Draft. The 6’8 combo forward out of Marquette profiles as a potential 3&D player. Dallas liked him enough in the draft to trade for the 24th pick from the Sacramento Kings.
However, for this price where they dump their worst contract and add two solid rotation players, Dallas should be willing to part ways with the young Canadian. Prosper would immediately play a role as the 3&D prospect that Washington desperately needs, fitting next to Bilal Coulibaly perfectly to make a scary defensive duo.
The Wizards shouldn’t squander any chance to get high-upside prospects in the door, even if it means to add unwanted salary on their books. That’s why this trade could be a huge win for Washington.