Outside of the DMV, fans and media didn’t care about how anything at the NBA Trade Deadline impacted the Washington Wizards, but luckily for readers, I do.
The following players and picks are heading to Washington:
- Khris Middleton
- Marcus Smart
- Colby Jones
- Alex Len
- AJ Johnson
- 2025 first-round pick (Protected first-round pick)
- 2026 first-round pick (Least favorable pick of the 2026 first round between the LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets)
- 2028 first-round swap
- Two second-round picks
Breaking Down the Incoming:
Let’s start with the younger guys. The acquisition of Jones and Johnson gives the Washington Wizards more room to improve through youth.
Add those two to Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George.
I would put both of them in the same category as Tristan Vukcevic. It would be satisfactory if one of the three sticks somewhere between 9 and 13 in the rotation. Two out of three sticking would be a victory.
Smart is a movable piece during the offseason or next season. Michael Winger and the front office know having vets during a build/rebuild is important and sometimes overlooked, so the acquisition is probably better than most realize.
Len is a throwaway.
One of the things I’ve been disappointed in is in an era of teams trading unprotected first-round picks, Washington couldn’t get one. Both first-round picks are protected.
What I do like are the second-round picks. Those picks have more value under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) than fans realize.
Heading Out of Washington:
- Kyle Kuzma
- Jonas Valanciunas
- Marvin Bagley III
- Patrick Baldwin Jr.
- Jared Butler
- Johnny Davis
- Five second-round picks
Breaking Down the Outgoing:
The important outgoing player on this list is Kuzma.
A situation like Washington’s is always difficult for veterans, but Kuzma made it known that he was no longer willing to sacrifice for the organization’s good.
Washington’s biggest mistake was letting Kuzma stay last season to chase stats. This season, Kuzma was less valuable at the deadline.
The only way the Wizards can make up for that mistake is to find a way to cash in on Middleton via a trade. We won’t know if that will play out until next season since teams won’t be willing to gamble on his injury history during the offseason.
Valanciunas and Bagley III are end-of-the-rotation guys on playoff teams. At the same time, Davis represents one of the more recent draft busts for an organization with a history of draft busts.
