The Washington Wizards enter the offseason as one of the few teams who are in position to help a team like the Boston Celtics, who are in the midst of a financial crisis.
Boston enters the offseason reportedly looking to be aggressive in efforts to duck under the second apron to avoid dealing with the penalties that they would be forced to face if they spend another season with one of the most expensive rosters in the league.
For the Celtics to duck under the second apron, they'll be forced to part ways with multiple of their core players.
Entering the offseason, names such as Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser have floated around as the most likely candidates to be moved in a deal.
Obviously, the Wizards have no interest in making a move to land one of these players, but they could find it worth their wild to get involved in a deal to help facilitate it, especially if one of the involved teams in a deal offer to sweeten the pot for Washington.
In a recent video posted by NBA salary cap analyst, Yossi Gozlan, the Wizards were mentioned in a three-team deal with the Celtics in the LA Clippers. Clearly, the deal makes sense for both Boston and LA, but does the deal make sense for Washington?
Is the return worth it for Wizards to facilitate deal?
A look at the proposed deal:
Celtics get:
- Saddiq Bey
- Kris Dunn
- Colby Jones
Clippers get:
- Jrue Holiday
- Xavier Tillman Sr.
Wizards get:
- Bogdan Bogdonavic
- Drew Eubanks
- No. 28 overall pick (via BOS)
Personally, this deal seems like the biggest win for the LA Clippers. However, the discussion of who wins and who loses is besides the point. We're here to examine if this deal is worth it for the Wizards to help facilitate.
Essentially, Washington would be offloading Saddiq Bey and Colby Jones in exchange for Bogdan Bogdonavic, Drew Eubanks and an additional first round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
The incoming players alone don't fit Washington's current timeline, but the fact of the matter is both of these players would likely be able to net the Wizards additional assets in a separate deal .
In addition to that, Washington landing an extra first-round pick would give them four total selections in the upcoming NBA Draft and three in the first round (No. 6, No. 18 and No. 28). Those picks alone could help general manager Will Dawkins make an aggressive move in the draft or potentially bring in multiple young prospects.
All that to say, if a deal of this nature was presented to the Wizards to help the Celtics relieve their financial situation, it would be worth the return for Washington to aid their Eastern Conference rivals.