At 19-34 on the season and coming off a loss to the Orlando Magic, Domantas Sabonis and the Indiana Pacers are going nowhere fast. They sit at 19-34 on the season and boast the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference.
In fact, Indiana is already 6.5 games out of the final play-in spot back east. It’s led to widespread rumors that the Pacers will look to blow it up ahead of the Feb. 10 NBA trade deadline.
On the other hand, the Washington Wizards have been darn inconsistent since starting the season strong. They need to make a move to remain in playoff contention back east and appease star guard Bradley Beal. This has also led to rumors that the Wizards are interested in the aforementioned Sabonis with Beal himself being a driving force.
With a mere week to go before the deadline, we look at two ways the Wizards can pull off a trade for the two-time All-Star and help their playoff chances.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated rumors ahead of Feb. 10 NBA trade deadline
Washington Wizards offer up young assets for Domantas Sabonis
- Wizards get: Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday
- Pacers get: Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, Davis Bertans, 2024 first-round pick
This package enables Indiana to retool on the fly with two young frontcourt players. Hachimura, 23, has shown great two-way ability since Washington made him a top-10 pick back in 2019. As for Avdija, the Israeli was picked ninth overall in 2020 and has yet to fully break out since joining the Wizards. Some compared him to Luka Doncic heading into the draft. He’s just 21. Add in a first-round pick a couple years down the road, and this is a solid package for the Pacers.
Instead of exhausting multiple draft picks, Washington goes with the smarter move. It will want those selections just in case Beal does decide to leave D.C. Giving up two players who have been mid-tier rotation options this season wouldn’t be too much of a loss short-term. In the process, Washington builds a darn talented starting five of Spencer Dinwiddie, Beal, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Sabonis.
Related: Ideal Domantas Sabonis trade scenarios from the Indiana Pacers
Washington Wizards change up on the fly with a three-team trade
- Wizards get: Domantas Sabonis, T.J. McConnell
- Pacers get: Corey Kispert, Keon Johnson, Terance Mann, Eric Bledsoe, first-round pick
- Clippers get: Spencer Dinwiddie
There’s been rumors that Washington will look to move Dinwiddie in-season after acquiring him last summer. Perhaps, the team just doesn’t view him as a great fit with Beal in the backcourt. If so, moving off the veteran could make sense. In turn, they bring in McConnell to work with Aaron Holiday as the primary ball-handlers.
We’ve also heard rumors around the NBA water cooler that the Clippers are in the market for pretty much every available point guard. At under .500 on the season, Los Angeles is just looking to remain relevant until stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George return. Dinwiddie would be a major upgrade over Bledsoe.
- Spencer Dinwiddie stats (2018-22): 17.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.6 APG, 42% shooting
Indiana’s involvement in this trade makes sense for numerous reasons. It gets three young wings in Kispert, Johnson and Mann — all of whom have shown promise. It would give front office head Kevin Pritchard a ton of flexibility for roster building moving forward.