NBA Trade Rumors: Washington Wizards Trading For Ersan Ilyasova?
The NBA trade rumor mill is slowly heating up, and the latest rumor out there is that the Milwaukee Bucks are interested in sending Ersan Ilyasova to the Washington Wizards.
Bucks and Wizards discussing a trade that involves Ersan Ilyasova going to Washington for their 3rd pick in the 2013 draft, via source.
— Brett Poirier (@ItsBrettPo) June 8, 2013
This rumor, while interesting, doesn’t really make that much sense. First of all, the Wizards will not have enough cap space to simply absorb Ilyasova’s contract for the no. 3 pick straight up. For the deal to be feasible, Washington would probably need to send Trevor Ariza (assuming he opts into the final year of his contract) in a package together with the pick.
While Ilyasova finished the year relatively well, many believe that he didn’t quite meet the expectations set on him when he signed his multi-year contract with the Bucks. He could potentially be an interesting fit on offense next to John Wall and Bradley Beal, as he can be part of small linups and act as a stretch-4, while also being able to play at the small forward position.
Offensively, Ilyasova with the Wizards would be quite intriguing, but giving up Ariza and the precious commodity that is the third overall pick in this year’s draft seems too big of a price to pay. Besides, the Wizards still hope that Otto Porter will be available when the team is on the clock, and many expect the prospect to be a great fit to the young core of the Wizards.