- There are a lot of potential Wizards trade targets ahead of the deadline
- Washington is looking to make a postseason push with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook
- Which players could be targeted?
There is an extremely high chance that the Wizards won’t be big players come the NBA trade deadline. They are currently sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference and their form since the return from the All-Star break hasn’t brought much hope of a play-off push. The Wizards are expecting to be quiet as the deadline approaches.
They simply don’t have the cap space or pulling power to attract some of the bigger names that are looking to be traded such as Andre Drummond, LaMarcus Aldridge and Victor Oladipo.
However, trade rumours surrounding star man and the league’s leading scorer Bradley Beal never seem to go away. Beal continuously states that he wants to stay in Washington and win with this organisation. If he was to come out and request a trade it, would be the blockbuster news across the league and there would be no doubt that there would be a number of teams interested in acquiring the 27-year old.
A deal to obtain the three-time All-Star would be something similar to the recent trade which saw James Harden move to the Brooklyn Nets. The Wizards would want several first round picks and at least one young asset to add to what is already a young roster. This trade would no doubt trigger a rebuild for the franchise.
It has been rumoured that the Wizards have recently put Troy Brown Jr on the trade block. Since Brown was drafted by the Wizards in 2018, he’s found his time in the nation’s capital rather indifferent.
His first year he spent most of the season playing in the G-league. Come the second year, he was a valuable part of the team’s rotation, but after the arrival of rookie Deni Avdija, Brown has once again found himself out of the rotation.
At 21 years old, Brown still has a lot of potential. A trade away could be exactly what he needs to reignite his career and one the Wizards would later come to regret.
As for players that the Wizards could target before the trade deadline here are a few options.
P.J. Tucker
P.J. Tucker has made it clear that he wants out of Houston. It’s most likely that the 35-year old veteran will sign with a contender but that doesn’t mean the Wizards shouldn’t join the race.
Tucker has been a consistent 3 and D player in this league for a long time now. He’s currently having a down year averaging 4.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and only averaging 31.4% from 3-point land, but Tucker continues to play hard on defence and impact the game in ways that don’t show up on the stats sheet.
Houston desire a young talent in return for the veteran wing.
Trevor Ariza
Trevor Ariza hasn’t played a game all season due to child custody issues in his personal life. He probably won’t see any game time as OKC doesn’t view him as a part of their rebuilding effort.
If this trade was to happen, it would be the third time Ariza will have been traded to the Wizards. Ariza is another solid 3 and D veteran that would help the Wizards on both ends of the floor. Over his 16-year career, Ariza has so far averaged 35.2% from 3-point land.
Ariza is currently on an expiring contract worth $12.8 million. This could well be a potential destination for Troy Brown Jr as the Wizards will feel this would benefit the team in the short-term if they were to make a late play-off push.
Wayne Ellington
The Wizards have struggled this season from the 3-point line and Wayne Ellington is currently shooting an impressive 42.2% from range, averaging 10.6 points per game.
The Pistons currently have the second worst record in the NBA at 10-28 and sit bottom of the Eastern Conference. They are looking to continue a rebuild and get more young assets and draft picks in exchange for older veterans and expiring contracts.
The Pistons are only looking for a second-round pick for the sharpshooter and it would be a great pick up for the Wizards.
John Collins
John Collins has expressed his interest at leaving Atlanta and at 23 years old the power forward is one of the top prospects in this league.
The Wizards would have to give up a lot of assets to secure Collins, including draft picks and one of their bright young players in Deni Avdija or Rui Hachimura.
This would probably be a deal breaker for the Wizards as they have high hopes for both Avdija and Hachimura. This deal is a lot more unrealistic than the previous Wizards trade targets but it could be something to keep any eye on, as Collins would provide much better defence and rim protection than any other players currently on the team.
James Ennis III
James Ennis is currently on a poor Orlando team that have been plagued by injuries this season. Because of this, the Magic look set to be settling for a high lottery pick with key man Aaron Gordon also linked with a move away from the franchise.
Ennis would help on both ends of the floor for the Wizards, he’s a solid defender and shoots a high clip from 3 averaging 44.7% from range.
Ed Davis
Ed Davis currently isn’t getting much game time at an extremely poor Timberwolves team.
The veteran centre has only featured in 19 games this season averaging 2.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Davis has always been one of the best offensive rebounders in the league and could provide something a bit different than the centres the Wizards already have.
Mike Muscala
Another player the Thunder may look to ship for picks or a young player as they continue their rebuild.
Mike Muscala wouldn’t much improve the Wizards on defence but would help with their 3-point shooting troubles as he averages 37% from range and 9.7 points per game.
Other players the Wizards could potentially look at to better their team would be George Hill of OKC and Avery Bradley of the Miami Heat but these two are most likely to be traded to contenders than the Wizards.
In an ideal world, the Wizards would want to target a centre due to Thomas Bryant’s ACL injury but the market this year is extremely limited in that position so the Wizards are most likely going to have to make do with Moe Wagner, Robin Lopez and Alex Len.
Another great 3-point shooter should also be high on their shopping list and with the price that the Pistons are asking for Ellington that could be a smart pick up if the Wizards really want to turn their season around and make the play offs.
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