The Washington Wizards are in a very peculiar place as a franchise right now. After an extremely hot start to the season, they have cooled off significantly as of late.
They went from a team hoping to clinch home-court advantage in the East to one that is currently fighting for a play-in spot. The Eastern Conference is a wild, wild place.
Recent NBA rumors revealed that Bradley Beal does not plan to sign an extension, however, the Wizards have no intention of trading him before the deadline.
That doesn’t mean they won’t be making any trades, though.
NBA Rumors: Wizards making everyone available except Beal
According to Zach Lowe and his podcast, The Lowe Post, the Washington Wizards are making everyone on the roster (outside of Beal) available for trade. (h/t Bleacher Report, HoopsHype)
The two names Lowe brought up as the most likely trade candidates were two players the Wizards just acquired this past offseason – Spencer Dinwiddie and Montrezl Harrell.
Dinwiddie joined the Wizards by way of the Brooklyn Nets this past summer. Unfortunately, he hasn’t played as well as most people would have hoped.
So far this year, Dinwiddie is averaging 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists while shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from deep.
Harrell was traded to Washington in the infamous Russell Westbrook trade this past offseason. He’s been great with the Wizards, but the team currently has a ton of center depth.
The former Sixth Man of the Year is putting up 14.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 65.2 percent from the field. He’s even taken a few threes but is only shooting 28.6 percent from range.
Other trade candidates could include Kyle Kuzma, Thomas Bryant, or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. If Beal leaves this summer, then there’s no doubt Washington would focus on their young guys.
However, if they want to build around Beal, trading young players such as Deni Avdija and/or Rui Hachimura could help them do that quicker.
Whatever happens, expect to see Washington active at the trade deadline in a couple of weeks. As for what trades they might make, that’s a mystery.