The Washington Wizards seemed like a team that had many tools at their disposal heading into the offseason.
Not only are the Wizards the front runners to earn the No. 1 overall pick, but they also seem poised to be sellers this coming offseason.
After the addition of multiple veterans including Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, the Wizards seemed to be taking a page out of Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder's playbook. The opportunity to let the veterans prove they still had plenty to offer on the court down the strtetch for the Wizards would give the team's front office the ammunition to pull off a trade in the offseason.
However, their plan may be back firing right before their eyes, especially after the recent injury news of Khris Middleton.
Khris Middleton can't stay healthy
Middleton served as a key piece for the Milwaukee Bucks during their championship run a few years back. Since then, the forward has struggled to stay on the court, which arguably was the biggest reason for the Bucks to make the decision to move on from the experienced wing.
At the deadline, Milwaukee was very aggressive in their pursuit of former Wizard Kyle Kuzma, enough to entice the Wizards front office for them to pull the trigger on an injury-prone veteran on a very lucrative contract.
Obviously, the Bucks sweetened the pot a bit including former first-round pick AJ Johnson in the deal alongside a future first-round pick swap. A deal that was seemingly too good for Washington to pass up, especially if they were able to pull off the Sam Presti method with Middleton. Not to mention the fact that Middleton could serve as a mentor to the team's young roster during his time here.
However, at this point of the season, those dreams seem to be turning into a nightmare due to the simple fact that Middlton can't seem to stay on the floor. And when he has been on the floor, he hasn't shown much promise, at least not to the point that it would make a contending team confident enough to trade for him on his $34 million deal this offseason.
In 14 games with the Wizards, Middleton has averaged 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while shooting 41.3% from field goal range and an abysmal 27.7% from three. At 33, that simply just isn't good enough to make him worth trading for. Especially after his recent knee injury that requires him to get an MRI.