The Washington Wizards weren’t expected to be very good this season.
Losing Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis and having a team led by Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma was projected to be a recipe for disaster.
Nonetheless, not even the most pessimistic Wizards fan saw this coming.
With that in mind, Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports that the ownership has given the front office a ‘mandate’ in which they need to get more draft picks at the trade deadline; it’s not optional (via Evan Sidery).
The Wizards have a mandate from ownership to acquire more draft picks at the trade deadline, per @WindhorstESPN (https://t.co/wV288FYWC3):
“They have to do this. That’s a mandate.”
Tyus Jones and Deni Avdija were two players mentioned generating interest on the market. pic.twitter.com/cfkQt5yq57
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) January 26, 2024
His report also states that Tyus Jones and Deni Advija seem to be gauging some league-wide trade interest.
Even though they don’t have the worst record in the league, the Wizards play iso-heavy and perhaps the worst brand of basketball in the entire league.
Some predicted Poole would be an All-Star and lead the league in scoring with several 50+ point games, yet his efficiency has dropped from his days as a Sixth Man from the Golden State Warriors, and he has one of the worst plus-minuses in the league, thus plummeting his trade value.
As for Kuzma, he’s been solid for the most part, but he’s making a lot of money to be a second or third-scoring option, and the Wizards reportedly want two first-round picks for him, which is quite steep.
Jones makes sense for plenty of teams, as he’s an intelligent playmaker who doesn’t turn the ball over.
As for Advija, he hasn’t lived up to expectations, but he can play some defense and is on a team-friendly deal.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Wizards' Asking Price For Kyle Kuzma