On February 6, the teams will be in their final negotiations before no longer being able to recover players until the summer. You will have understood, we are talking about the trade deadline! Only a few weeks left to change the rest of the season, to clean up or, conversely, to strengthen ourselves for the Playoffs. It deserves an analysis, and today we’re going to talk about the Wizards.
Objective: recover as many assets as possible and continue to empower young people
It has escaped no one’s notice that Washington has launched its great reconstruction. Goodbye to Bradley Beal’s stinking contract and welcome the youth, embodied by Alexandre Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly in particular.
It’s time for development for DC, with its share of defeats but with young people who can work in peace. Who says reconstruction means the possibility of seeking pure talent in the next vintages. To do this, there’s nothing like sending a few veterans to teams that are aiming to win in the short term, just to earn additional Draft rounds. This will also free up minutes for younger players who need to play to gain experience.
Jonas Valanciunas, Malcolm Brogdon, Kyle Kuzma, this way the exit?
As we said above, it is youth who are taking power in Washington and some more experienced players are clashing a bit with the current project. This is particularly the case of Jonas Valanciunas. The Lithuanian surprised everyone last summer by joining the Wizards. Now that he has his check, the kingpin could set sail and join a contender. The names of the Lakers and the Knicks were mentioned to welcome him. A good veteran who can bring his double-double off the bench, why not? According to The Athletic, Washington could obtain two second rounds of the Draft.
The Knicks hold “solid belief” that Mitchell Robinson will return to the court around early February, says @IanBegley
Jonas Valanciunas is a name to keep an eye on if the Knicks elect to move on from Robinson
Ian, @JLEdwardsIIIand @SirDennyBlanco on The Putback with Ian… pic.twitter.com/iz6z9T2vIN
-— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks)
Malcolm Brogdon is also affected by a departure. The 32-year-old leader is coming to the end of his contract and his future does not seem to be written in the American capital. If injuries have weighed him down these last two seasons, the GMs will undoubtedly not have forgotten that he was still the best replacement in the NBA only 18 months ago. It remains to find a physical form allowing him to contribute over time.
Finally, we will mention the eternal starter, the Mr. pink sweater of DC, Kyle Kuzma. If the power forward played a boss at the Wizards for two years, he is completely adrift this year. Falling stats, injuries, not really the strongest case for attracting franchises but if he manages to get back to a decent level by the deadline, Washington may receive a call. His declining contract remains at lower risk and he is only 29 years old. The Kings have been mentioned as a potential destination but the market is reportedly pretty quiet for Kuz’ at the moment. (Source: Clutch Points)
What about Jordan Poole?
Incredible but true, Jordan Poole is having his season with Washington. With 21.5 points and 4.8 assists on average, he is simply on the way to his best statistical year of his career. Even at 3-point, Poole has never shot so well, with more than 40% of address from the parking lot. Now that Poole has raised his stock on the market, Washington could perhaps take the opportunity to trade him, who still has two years of contract after this one, for a total check of $65 million.
At the end of December, The Athletic explained that the Nuggets kept Poole’s name in the back of their minds. Since then, not much news. If Jordan Poole shows a much better face this season, Washington already knows that he does not embody the leader of the future of DC. Succeeding in exchanging it to get a good deal will be one of the Wizards’ priority issues over the coming months. But maybe more this summer than in February.
Sources : Clutch Points / The Athletic / SNY
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