Every single member of their roster on the trade market.
Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
In what can’t be considered too much of a surprise, the struggling Washington Wizards have reportedly put every single member of their roster on the trade market. That includes All-Star guards John Wall and Bradley Beal.
While Wall’s contract will be an issue for any team attempting to trade for him, he’s earned five consecutive All-Star appearances and will have a strong market for his services.
Here’s a look at three intriguing trade scenarios surrounding one of the better point guards in the NBA.
Los Angeles Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
We saw just how much success LeBron James had when working with an elite point guard in Cleveland. The Lakers simply don’t have that in either Lonzo Ball or Rajon Rondo at this point. Sure president Magic Johnson and Co. want to keep cap flexibility for next summer, but adding someone of Wall’s ilk in a trade could expedite the Lakers’ rebirth to championship relevance.
A move of this ilk would be difficult in that Los Angeles would have to wait until later in the season to trade Caldwell-Pope. It would also have to likely part ways with the team’s two most-recent lottery picks in that of Ball and Brandon Ingram. Is this a bounty Magic and Co. would be willing to pay? We’re not entirely too sure. But it is a rather interesting hypothetical.
Detroit Pistons for Andre Drummond and Stanley Johnson
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Given that Detroit doesn’t have the draft assets to send to Washington in a deal, it would have to part ways with one of the better big men in the game. This season alone, Drummond is averaging 18.9 points and an NBA-high 16.2 rebounds per game. He’s proven to be an elite force with Blake Griffin in Detroit’s front court. Though, the idea here would be to team Griffin up with Wall to form a great inside-out tandem with the Pistons.
From Washington’s perspective, this type of trade would make a ton of sense. Drummond could be an integral part of the team’s rebuild in D.C. Meanwhile, adding a potential high-upside player in Stanley Johnson would be nothing more than a sweetener for the downtrodden organization.
Dallas Mavericks for Dennis Smith Jr., Harrison Barnes and Dorian Finney-Smith
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With all due respect to both Smith and Barnes, Luka Doncic is already the face of the Mavericks’ franchise. What he’s done as a rookie is nothing short of extraordinary. Given that Dallas yielded its 2019 first-round pick in a move up for Doncic, veterans would have to be on the table in a potential trade.
It’s in this that Mark Cuban, always looking to make that splashy move, deals a talented young guard in Smith and a player in Barnes who has already hit his upside to Washington for Wall. The idea would be to team Wall up with Doncic to create a solid one-two punch in Big D.
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