The Washington Wizards have quietly built a reputation for themselves over the last couple years as a team who's not afraid to pull the trigger on a trade.
Under the leadership of general manager Will Dawkins, Washington has made countless moves with the both the long-term and short-term future in mind.
Between veteran additions of Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum, offloading the contracts of Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole and the acquisition of young talent such as AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham and Cam Whitmore, the Wizards made it clear they're open for business when it comes to deal they feel make them better.
All that to say, it wouldn't come as a surprise to see Washington remain active leading up to the NBA trade deadline in February.
With the veteran contracts of McCollum and Middleton at their disposal, mixed with the abundance of young talent and draft capital, realistically, Washington has the ammunition to make a bold move if they so choose.
Is it likely? Probably not.
However, stranger things have happened and if the right deal were to present itself, it wouldn't be a total shock to see the Wizards get aggressive.
Nonetheless, in a recent article from Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley suggesting one trade every NBA team would make if the deadline was today, the mock trade for the Wizards would absolutely flip the team's rebuild upside down if it came true.
Wizards land LaMelo Ball in BR mock trade
A look at the hypothetical deal below:
Washington would be taking a huge swing landing a talent like LaMelo Ball, who's emerged as a legit star during his time with the Charlotte Hornets.
Ball would be the answer to the Wizards growing question in the backcourt, giving the team a point guard to build around for the future.
Offloading McCollum's contract alongside Whitmore and Bub Carrington could be considered a steal, especially if the Wizards were able to take a major leap forward.
Wizards projected starting lineup with Ball on the roster:
G LaMelo Ball
G Tre Johnson
F Kyshawn George
F Bilal Coulibaly/Khris Middleton
C Alex Sarr
However, the question would be if a deal with a steep price like this is worth it, especially for a player who's star stats haven't exactly impacted winning since arriving in Charlotte.
This would be a question the Wizards would have to ask themselves, but there's no doubt that a deal like this would change the projection of the team's future.