NBA Trade Deadline Portfolio 2018: Washington Wizards

Led by their All-Star backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, the Wizards remain firmly in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture more than halfway through the 2017-18 season. However, their inconsistency puts them a tier below the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers, as they’re liable to smash a contender one night and then lay an egg against a scuffling lottery team the next.

“We’re not in the position that we want to [be in],” Wall said Tuesday during an interview on TNT after learning he’d been selected to the All-Star Game (via Scott Allen of the Washington Post). “The way we’ve been playing this season, it ain’t the record we wanted to have. We wanted to be a top-two team in the East, but us as leaders, we’ve got to do a better job in the second half of the season to get us on the right track.”

With Wall having taken a minor step back from his career-best 2016-17 campaign, Beal has emerged as Washington’s most consistent contributor this season. Newly minted max-contract recipient Otto Porter Jr. picked up right where he left off last year, although a back injury has hampered him in recent weeks. When those three play alongside fellow starters Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris, the Wizards blitz their opponents by 6.3 points per 100 possessions heading into Wednesday’s action. Washington’s reserves, however, get outscored by 1.0 points per 100 possessions.

Read More: The Encyclopedia of Modern Moves

The Wizards bench is nowhere near as bad as it was last season, when it had a net rating of minus-3.4. Bolstered by a breakout year from Kelly Oubre Jr. and new additions such as Tim Frazier, Jodie Meeks and Mike Scott, Washington isn’t completely screwed whenever Wall, Beal or Porter aren’t on the floor. However, there’s a clear drop-off in talent after the Wizards’ top six (their starters plus Oubre), which could come back to bite them in a playoff series.

Since all five of Washington’s starters are under contract through 2018-19, the team should be searching for bench upgrades ahead of the trade deadline. The Wizards already owe their 2019, 2020 and 2021 second-round picks to the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz, respectively, although their 2020 second-rounder is top-55 protected (and is thus unlikely to be conveyed). That leaves them with their full arsenal of first-round picks to dangle in a trade, along with their 2018 second-rounder and any of their second-round picks beginning in 2022.

Two years ago at the deadline, the Wizards shipped a top-nine-protected first-rounder to the Phoenix Suns along with Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair to acquire Morris and his cost-effective contract. If they believe they’re one piece away from legitimate title contention, perhaps they’d be willing to dangle their first-rounder again to add some additional firepower off the bench? The likes of Lou Williams, Tyreke Evans, Rodney Hood or Nikola Mirotic could all provide a strong microwave scoring presence alongside Oubre in the reserve unit, and Jason Smith could serve as the salary filler necessary to grease the wheels on such deals. However, the Wizards will be restricted in how much they could offer Williams and Evans in free agency, which may limit their willingness to part ways with a first-rounder for either player.

Short of that, the Wizards should actively pursue ways to boost their team chemistry, much as the Cleveland Cavaliers did with Channing Frye two years ago. As ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan relayed this past June, Frye quickly became “the ‘glue guy’ in the Cavs’ locker room, a man who bonded the team and helped lead the Cavs to their first championship in franchise history.” It appears as though the Wizards are in desperate need of such a presence, particularly after a recent team meeting went awry.

“A couple guys took it the negative way and it hurt our team,” Wall said afterward, per Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. “Instead of taking it in a positive way like we did in the past and using it to build our team up, it kind of set us back a little bit.”

Wizards head coach Scott Brooks has spent much of the season laying into his team, particularly for a lack of effort. Following a dismal loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 17, he vowed to “change some things and make sure we’re all going to compete. If not, we’re going to have to find guys who are going to compete.” He’s stood pat with his starting lineup in the ensuing few games, but that warning should put Morris and Gortat on notice in particular.

The Wizards may be experiencing the midseason doldrums of having to gut out regular-season wins without the excitement of playoff basketball. For a team with its eyes fixated on June, January matchups against the Hornets, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks don’t boast the same type of appeal. However, legitimate contenders work past those motivational issues and get themselves worked up for a game regardless who’s on the other side of the court. The Wizards? Not so much.

Cleveland is actively dangling Frye in trade discussions for George Hill, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst, but if those fall through, perhaps he could take his glue-guy magic to the nation’s capital? Could the Wizards convince the Kings to fire-sale their veterans and acquire Vince Carter for Smith, a second-round pick and salary filler? Is there a workable deal with the Utah Jazz for Joe Johnson?

Next: One trade every team should make at the deadline

The Wizards are already $5.8 million above the luxury-tax threshold, so if their inconsistency persists heading into the deadline, ownership may decide to cut costs and give up on attempting to build a legitimate contender this year. Otherwise, finding someone who can help build out their bench depth and restore the chemistry in their locker room would go a long way toward turning them into a serious challenger for Boston, Toronto and Cleveland in the East.

All statistics via NBA.com or Basketball Reference, unless otherwise noted. All contract details via Spotrac.