NBA Trade Deadline 2018: 5 teams that should be buying at the deadline

5. Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards already had the makings of a trade-deadline buyer, but John Wall’s sudden absence further cements that status.

On Tuesday, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post reported Wall was set to undergo an arthroscopic debridement procedure to address lingering soreness in his left knee. He’s expected to miss the next six to eight weeks of action, coinciding with a 20-game stretch during which the Wizards face 16 teams currently in the playoffs, according to ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe.

In Wall’s absence, Tomas Satoransky moved into Washington’s starting lineup Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks and remained there Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, although he underwhelmed in both outings. Since nightly 20-point, 10-assist threats aren’t prevalent across the NBA — particularly on the trade market — the Wizards will need to hope for expanded production across the board to make up for Wall’s absence.

Washington hasn’t shied away from dangling first-round picks in recent years to make upgrades at the deadline, whether it was for an under-contract Markieff Morris in 2016 or a rental in Bojan Bogdanovic last February. There isn’t much sense in the Wizards acquiring a point guard who’s owed long-term money since Wall remains their franchise floor general, but a rental such as Lou Williams or Tyreke Evans could help keep them afloat until Wall returns.

Next: 4. Oklahoma City Thunder