Entering the regular season, Bub Carrington seem poised to have the opportunity to prove that he could not only be a building block for the Washington Wizards, but he could be the team's long-term solution at point guard.
Between an inconsistent start to the season and his eventual benching in favor of returning two-way prospect Bilal Coulibaly, it became obvious early on that Washington may have their doubt about Carrington's development.
However, a recent stretch of solid play suggested Carrington could be turning things around for the better.
Nonetheless, the Wizards recent trade interest in former All-Star Trae Young suggests that Washington still may not be sold on the possibility that their former lottery pick could be a long-term answer after all.
Wizards Trae Young interest is bad news for Bub Carrington
The Wizards seem desperate to figure out their issues at the point guard position.
Not only does Washington hope to find an adequate playmaker who can run the offense for head coach Brian Keefe, but efficiency at the point guard position will be key for the development of other prospects on the roster, especially former No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr.
Sure, Young has his limitations considering his defensive shortcomings, but he's also proven to be one of the best facilitating point guards in the league.
Not to mention his upside as a scorer with his crafty offensive game.
And whether Washington truly believes he could be the long-term answer or they simply just have other plans to potentially flip Young's contract down the line, it all stems back to the same harsh reality for Bub Carrington.
That reality? Washington doesn't believe he can be the leader of the backcourt.
Carrington is averaging 9.4 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds, while shooting 40.1% from field goal range and 43.1% from byeond the arc on the season.
Although those numbers may not seem bad, considering he's regressed from his rookie season, it's hard to put stake in the possibility that he'll miraculously turn things around to be a premiere point guard in D.C.
However, giving up on Carrington this early in his career is the last thing the Wizards should be doing, especially considering the amount of regret Washington is already forced to deal with following Deni Avdija's emergence in Portland.
Regardless, the noise surrounding a Trae Young trade for the Wizards is bad news for Carrington whether a deal gets done or not.