NBA Rumors: There's growing speculation that the Washington Wizards will be proactive heading into the NBA Trade Deadline.
Heading into the season, many expected the Washington Wizards to emerge as one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. At least through the first four games of the season, that is far from a certainty. I don't think anyone would confuse the Wizards with a playoff contender but they've been more competitive than most believed they would. Still, I don't think that's going to taint the team's big-picture plans in pivoting toward a rebuilding of the roster.
Even though the Wizards are 2-2 through the first four games of the season, the team still doesn't have a future face of the franchise on the roster and there are even bigger questions about the team's future after Alex Sarr's rough start to his NBA career. The early rumblings seem to reinforce the idea that the Wizards are still looking to strip away at the roster before completely building it back up.
On the Bleacher Report NBA app, insider Jake Fischer noted that the Wizards are "absolutely in deal-making mode" and they're ready to "do business" leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline. In so few words, Fischer made it quite clear that the Wizards will be looking to trade veterans on their roster - most notably, Kyle Kuzma, Jonas Valanciunas, and Malcolm Brogdon.
The Washington Wizards are early sellers
It's still early on in the season, but the Wizards are not being coy about their desire to embrace the seller role heading into the NBA Trade Deadline. And the market for their veteran players could be vast. Kuzma has struggled with his shooting efficiency numbers to start the year but he's proven to be a productive player at every stop in his career. The same could be said about Brogdon. The problem or issue with Brogdon is the fact that he's battled injuries all throughout his career and hasn't played this season yet because of another injury. His situation is certainly a bit more complicated.
Even though he's embraced a bench role this season in Washington, Valanciunas has been a productive player for the Wizards to begin the year. With the shallow market for starting centers across the league, Valanciunas could emerge as a highly sought-after player at the trade deadline.
There is a path toward the Wizards being big winners at the NBA Trade Deadline. If the markets for the veteran players on their roster become strong, Washington could very much look like a completely different team than they do at the moment. And, perhaps most importantly, the outlook on their future could be a lot brighter.