The Washington Wizards have made an abundance of moves this offseason that have turned the tide around the team's chances to compete in the Eastern Conference next season.
Not only did the Wizards bring in another talented veteran in CJ McCollum, but they landed multiple high-upside additions in Cam Whitmore and Malaki Branham.
Not to mention the team's incoming rookie class headlined by arguably the best scorer available with incoming guard Tre Johnson.
The hype around the Wizards rebuild is building and understandably so.
Not only are fans starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but players on the team are starting to genuienly believe they could be a sleeper to compete in a wide-open Eastern Conference next season.
Whether it's irrational confidence or a true sense of belief, the Wizards newly acquired forward feels like Washington is on the rise.
In fact, Whitmore may be on to something.
The Wizards have the right mixture of young talent and veterans on the roster. Not only is Washington much deeper than they were last season, but they have the assets on the roster to make moves to add to their roster if the young team does happen to surprise this season.
One player in specific the Wizards could use as a trade chip to upgrade their roster is Khris Middleton.
Middleton landed in Washington ahead of February's NBA trade deadline and after opting into his $33.2 million player option this offseason, the veteran forward has proven difficult to find a trade partner for.
Considering his age, lack of durability and lucrative contract, Washington will almost certainly have to attach draft assets in any deal to offload the forward.
However, the Wizards could be willing to do exactly that if they're able to acquire a talented player that will allow them to get one step closer to competing.
With Middleton's sizable contract, he could be the centerpiece of nearly any potential deal.
If the Wizards were to become an aggressive team on the trade market, a name like Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz could be an interested name to monitor.
In the midst of his prime, on a contract that's more than movable with a team who doesn't value him as a cornerstone, Markannen could be a name that interest the Wizards.
So if Middleton were to be involved in any potential blockbuster deal, that would likely be the only realistic possibility for the forward to help the Wizards get one step closer to competing.