NBA Trade Deadline 2019: Winners and losers

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Loser: Washington Wizards

What a sad, crumbling mess Washington has become. Only a few seasons ago, the Wizards were a team with a perennial puncher’s chance at getting to the conference finals. Now, they’re a roster in ruin.

Like the dead albatross to the ancient mariner, John Wall and his currently-broken body hang on the neck of the franchise at almost $170 million for the next four years. For a sobering perspective, Wall’s player option in 2022 is for FORTY-SEVEN MILLION U.S. DOLLARS.

They waived the white flag at the deadline, selling off Otto Porter and Markieff Morris to duck under the luxury tax threshold. Their net procurement from that pair of trades amounted to Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis, Wesley Johnson, and a 2023 second round pick. Unloading Porter’s hefty salary marked their only real triumph of these dealings.

NBA Trade Deadline 2019: Rumors and deal tracker. dark. Next

Unless you can talk yourself into the Parker reclamation project, Bradley Beal stands as the only player of value on this team. Beal, already unhappy with the Wizards, could be the next star demanding a trade this summer.

At least Washington has all their upcoming first-round picks. They project to be pretty high for the foreseeable future.

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