It has been an interesting past week or so for the Washington Wizards. Despite being panned by fans and pundits alike for their confusing NBA trade deadline strategy, the Wizards have gone on to win six straight games – four since trading away the ninth overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft in Rui Hachimura.
Over that stretch, the Wizards’ supporting cast around superstar Bradley Beal has stepped up. Kyle Kuzma, a popular subject of trade rumors, has been instrumental during their winning streak, propping up Washington’s offense amid Beal’s bouts with inconsistencies. Meanwhile, another ninth overall pick in Deni Avdija has seen his stock soar with one strong performance after another.
Moreover, Kristaps Porzingis has missed the Wizards’ past three games and yet Washington’s winning train keeps rolling along, thanks to Daniel Gafford’s impressive play in his place. The Wizards may not be the most talented team in the association, but there’s no denying that their next man up mentality has been a huge part of this surprising turnaround.
As a result, the Wizards are now the ninth (what is with Washington and being ninth?) seed in the Eastern Conference, which makes them even more unlikely to sell off on some of their pieces that have contributed to their strong winning run as of late.
Alas, their solid stretch shouldn’t drastically alter their trade deadline strategy – if at all. The Wizards brass should check themselves for delusions of grandeur lest they shortsightedly mortgage a few of their draft assets to bolster a team that may not be too much more than a play-in squad.
Wizards’ nightmare scenario: Instead of being sellers, they become buyers at the trade deadline
The Wizards have a golden opportunity to move further up the standings, with their team slowly inching closer to full strength. In addition, their next month of games consists of matchups mostly against teams they’re competing with for the final play-in spots: the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, and New York Knicks. Making things better for them, they also have scheduled tilts against two of the worst teams in the league in the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets over that stretch.
However, that does not mean that the Wizards of all teams should pursue a short-term upgrade at the cost of their precious draft assets and/or young prospects.
There is still much uncertainty regarding the status of the Wizards’ future first-round picks, as it is unclear when their 2023 first-round pick, traded away in the Russell Westbrook trade in 2020, would convey to the New York Knicks. If their strong play continues, that first-rounder would convey as early as possible since that pick is lottery-protected.
Even then, the pieces for a Wizards play-in team appear to be in place, with or without a trade. After a rough stretch in December where they lost 10 straight games, they have gone 13-6 including quality wins against strong teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Mavericks.
In particular, Deni Avdija looks like a keeper, stepping up following the departure of Rui Hachimura. Avdija is starting to fulfill the promise he showed that made him the ninth overall pick in 2020. His latest effort, an efficient 25-point outing against the San Antonio Spurs, is the latest piece of evidence that he looks ready for a breakout campaign if given minutes.
At the end of the day, if the Wizards were to make any moves, it should not be anything groundbreaking. Pulling off a solid, buy-low trade that won’t cost them any future assets should be their target. Their trade for Daniel Gafford in 2021 – a simple swap for Troy Brown Jr. and Moe Wagner, two players who found themselves on the outside in DC by then – comes to mind as an example of what the Wizards should be aiming for.
At the moment, the Wizards appear justified in their decision to hold onto their best trade assets in Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal. After all, the Wizards appear to be content with potentially making the postseason. And perhaps by then, they could make some noise in the playoffs. With the sheer unpredictability in the league these days, there’s no telling just how much magic these Wizards could conjure up.
Sure, they could lose Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis in a few months’ time during free agency. They also may not have the most secure future outlook, due to a lack of a true blue-chip young prospect and the considerable uncertainty they would face come July. But for the Wizards’ sake, they shouldn’t do anything that would further jeopardize their already shaky future.
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