By: Mike Patt
Original Date: 7/10/24
Hello sports fans, and welcome back to the IE Sports Radio Blog. The NBA landscape has seen so much action over the past few weeks that it feels like the Celtics winning the Championship happened many months ago (when in fact it happened less than a month ago). Trade and free agency action started before the draft and has continued pretty consistently. Some big names have changed teams, such as Chris Paul, DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, and Paul George. Things will begin to wind down as rosters start to settle in, but we are not out of the woods yet.
The Washington Wizards have been somewhat active in this time. On draft day, the team traded young forward Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers for Malcolm Brogdon and two first round picks, including the 14th pick for this year. The move surprised many, as Avdija was coming off his best season and was under a team friendly contract for a few more years. Washington then had 3 first round picks, which they used on F/C Alex Sarr, G Bub Carrington, and F Kyshawn George. The new trio has incredible potential and will play an integral part in the Wizards’ rebuild over the next few years, but do not expect them to jump right in and take the league by storm.
In free agency, the Wizards did a sign-and-trade for C Jonas Valanciunas in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick in 2027 (which is heavily protected, so virtually nothing). They signed reserve big man Tristan Vukcevic to a two-way contract, and waived veteran G Landry Shamet to free up cap space for the rookies and Jonas. Despite the many trade rumors, things have been pretty quiet since the draft. This feels too boring, so we are going to explore what I think would be the craziest, most exciting way for the Wizards to wrap up the Off-season with three specific moves:
Move #1: A Big Trade:
Sacramento Receives: F Kyle Kuzma, G Johnny Davis
Washington Receives: G/F Kevin Huerter, F Trey Lyles, Future 1st Round Pick, Additional 2nd Round Picks
Sacramento has been a hot trade destination for Kuzma for some time now. Even after their recent trade for DeMar DeRozan, the Kings still have the ability to add one major piece to the puzzle and go all in on 2024-25. Kuzma could be that guy. Huerter looks like the most likely trade target for salary match purposes, but the move would be too boring with just a one player swap. Enter in Lyles, a reserve forward who the team may not need since they will have to get minutes to DeRozan, Kuzma, and Keegan Murray. Davis, a former first round pick who has yet to establish himself in DC, would keep the salaries even and even benefit Washington by a few dollars.
The first round pick could be as early as 2027, but the Wizards have shown they do not care much about the timing of picks so long as they get them. And of course, we cannot do these moves without at least SOME 2nd round picks. Ultimately, the Kings trade two back-ups and some picks for a starter and back-up. Washington frees up minutes for rookie Alex Sarr and get’s a little worse for 2024-2025 while continuing their stockpile of draft picks. This makes sense for both sides. This is the most likely and realistic move, and certainly not the biggest as we will see right…now.
Move #2: A Bigger Trade:
Chicago Receives: G Jordan Poole, G Malcolm Brogdon, F/C Marvin Bagley III
Washington Receives: G Zach LaVine , G Lonzo Ball, Two Future 1st Round Picks (Protected)
Well, I did say we were going to get crazy. It is no secret that the Bulls have been trying to move Zach LaVine’s contract. There have even been reports that the team is willing to tie a first round pick to the deal. There was a simpler version of this trade in my head, but no, we simply cannot have that. It is easy to look at this trade and ask why to the individual components. Why would the Wizards take LaVine’s contract? Why would the Bulls give up two firsts? Why are Ball and Brogdon even involved? All valid questions, so let’s look at it from each team’s perspective.
First, for Chicago, this deal does not make the team significantly better. Poole is not better than LaVine (although he is consistently healthier), Brogdon is better than Ball in that he will be available to play, and Bagley is just a role player. So for tanking purposes, this works. They get financial relief in the coming years, as Bagley and Brogdon are free agents next year and Poole’s contract is significantly lower than LaVine’s. Ball is included because both he and Poole are ball dominant guards. When healthy, it would be difficult to match the two and split usage. Enter Brogdon, a reserve who can play both on and off the ball and match with different styles. His play fits better with Poole, who needs to be included for the trade salaries to work.
For Washington, this deal sends the last of their top three players from last year out the door (Kuzma and Avdija being the others). Adding LaVine gives them an interesting piece to carry through the rebuild, a perhaps a trade chip in a few ones once his contract is almost up. The expectation is that LaVine will be healthy to start the season, while Ball will likely be inactive (there are even rumors he may never play again). Either way, the net benefit is that the tank is still on. Moving this trio should free up minutes for the younger guys to get playing time. Additionally, moving Poole frees up room, both on the roster and on the court, for the final move below.
And then there are the first round picks. It is likely that one of the picks in this trade would be the protected first rounder from Portland that Chicago owns for next year. As my colleague, Adam Karnik of the Chi-Town Weekly show points out, that pick is unlikely to convey in the near future, if ever. So it is not a major loss for the Bulls in their rebuild process. The other pick, similar to what we discussed in the first move, could years down the road and also protected. It would be to the point where it is off of Chicago’s radar, but probably still work for the Wizards’ plan.
Move #3: A Key Re-Signing:
Washington Re-Signs G Tyus Jones to a One-Year Contract
The free agent market has not been booming for Jones, who remains unsigned despite various rumors of where he might go and sign-and-trade speculation. There is still potential for him to get an offer elsewhere. However, given how things have gone, it might behoove Jones to go back to Washington and hope for a mid-season trade to a contender in need of PG help. Washington will be able to use their existing cap space combined with the space created by move #1 and one of their trade exceptions to get this done under the apron. They will also need a PG to start the season as we assume Ball will not be ready. It seems like a win-win for both sides, as the Wizards fill an important spot while Jones returns to the team where he had one of his best seasons.
Projected Roster:
Starters: PG Tyus Jones, SG Zach LaVine, SF Corey Kispert, PF Alex Sarr, C Jonas Valanciunas
Top Bench: G Bilal Coulibaly, G Kevin Hueter, F Trey Lyles, C Richaun Holmes, G Jared Butler
Bottom Third: G Bub Carrington, F Kyshawn George, F Patrick Baldwin, F Eugene Ompruyi
Injured and Two-Way: G Lonzo Ball (Inactive to start the season), F/C Tristen Vukcevic, G/F Justin Champagnie, G Jules Bernard (Un-signed)
If the goal is to tank, then this roster looks like the way to go about it, especially when you consider the high probability that Washington will not get a full season out of LaVine and Ball. The three future first round picks would be a windfall considering the team has not had much success in the early rebuild stages of getting early picks (plenty of seconds though). These moves do limit the team’s future financial flexibility, as LaVine has multiple years left on his deal and Huerter is under contract for 2025-26. The Wizards are not exactly a franchise that high-priced free agents are lining up to sign max contract with, so my concern level is low on that front.
In reality, I do not think all three moves will happen. There is a decent chance of Kuzma going to the Kings for the logic I described above. Jones returning to DC is on the table, but the Chicago trade is very unlikely. Still, it’s fun to play GM and see what your favorite team COULD do to change things up. Tune in to all of the great shows here on IESR. We’ve got shows every day of the week, and surely something for you. Shout out to sponsors Planet Jerky and Seal the Deal Wax Stamps, as well as all you loyal fans that continue to help out network grow. Thank you all for reading, and we will see you next time on IE Sports Radio; your direct feed for ALL that is sports.
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