Washington Wizards: 3 players most likely to be traded in 2018-19

3. Ian Mahinmi

The Washington Wizards haven’t been perfect on the free agent market. One signing that continues to haunt them is the four-year, $64 million deal they made with big man Ian Mahinmi. In two seasons with the Wizards, he’s producing 5.0 points and 4.3 rebounds off the bench in 15.7 minutes per game through 108 appearances.

He appeared in just 31 games during his first season with the team, dealing with a left knee injury. Since returning back healthy, he’s been everything but the defensive anchor the team hoped he be when he arrived.

Even with Marcin Gortat on the roster at the time, the team deemed Mahinmi worthy of $64 million across four seasons. Since then, the team has traded Gortat to the Los Angeles Clippers for Austin Rivers, but Mahinmi still remains.

Washington generated a defensive rating of 105.0 with Mahinmi on the floor and 106.7 off of it in 2017-18. To put it frankly, Mahinmi hasn’t been a good fit off the bench. Dwight Howard’s arrival opens the door for Mahinmi to play fewer minutes, especially with a healthy Markieff Morris entering the season.

The new-look Wizards could certainly afford to find a new destination for Mahinmi, although that could prove difficult. With two seasons and roughly $32 million left, finding a potential suitor could be tough. The Brooklyn Nets and Kenneth Faried are one team that comes to mind. Faried is on the final year of a four-year, $50 million deal and due to make $13.8 million in 2018-19 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the 2019 offseason.