Wizards Rumors: Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, Rui Hachimura, Will Barton, More
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In this week’s episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Fastbreak on FanNation NBA insider and reporter Brett Siegel is joined by Chase Hughes from NBC Sports Washington to discuss all things Washington Wizards, who currently find themselves outside of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference heading towards the trade deadline.
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Will Barton’s Time In Washington Coming To An End? [4:23]
One of the key moves the Washington Wizards made this past offseason was trading Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Will Barton and Monte Morris, two known offensive talents that could instantly bolster the Wizards’ main rotation.
Early on, Morris ended up solidifying himself as the starting point guard for the Wizards, but Barton ended up finding himself in a bench role and now, he has completely fallen out of the team’s rotations.
Will Barton will be a key name to watch ahead of the trade deadline this season not only because he is in the final year of his contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent, but because Washington has nothing to lose right now if they were to move him with Barton not being included in their lineups
Chase Hughes talked about Barton’s situation and why he is a key name to watch in trade discussions pertaining to the Wizards over the next few weeks.
Hughes [4:47]: “I think it is just pure deductive reasoning because he’s out of the rotation entirely and Barton is on an expiring deal. I am sure there is a team out there that might be interested in buying low on a guy that could help their bench or starting lineup. Will Barton has had a long track record of being a good scorer and in Denver, he was a guy that could get you 14-15 points a game, plus 4-5 rebounds and 4-5 assists… I would definitely look at Barton as being a logical player to be traded at the deadline and maybe someone that Tommy Sheppard can work some magic with, similar to what we saw last season with Davis Bertans.”
Latest Injury Update On Bradley Beal [6:20]
Re-signing with the Washington Wizards in the offseason on a super-max, five-year, $250 million deal, Bradley Beal has once again pledged his loyalty to the Wizards. However, success has been hard to come by and now being 29-years-old, rumors surrounding Beal’s future are not going away anytime soon.
Now though, Beal has been struggling with some injuries this season, as he missed games early on due to a hamstring injury and once again, he is dealing with a hamstring issue.
Bradley Beal has not played since January 3 and while the team did clear him to resume basketball activities recently, there is a cause for concern right now within this organization in regards to Beal’s injuries.
Hughes [7:05]: “I definitely think they are concerned about his availability this season because this is now two straight years where Beal has missed time, of course last season he had the wrist injury that required surgery. Now he comes back this year and it has been a couple of hamstring problems, he had a quad contusion and he was also out due to health and safety protocols. Availability has been a problem for him and really before last season. The percentage of games Beal has played over the last 4-5 years is much lower than it previously was. Any time you are investing that much money in a player and they’re not on the court, certainly you are going to be concerned from an organizational perspective.”
Chase and Brett went on to discuss Beal’s future with the Wizards and how this season could be vital for the Wizards to prove that they want to win with their veteran All-Star [7:52].
Hughes: In terms of his no-trade clause, I think that was probably just insurance on Beal’s part and using leverage and knowing that he could get that out of a deal. He also probably saw what happened with John Wall being traded to a situation that was beneficial to the organization, but not Wall. This was just an insurance move for Bradley Beal, but that does not mean he will not go ahead and waive this no-trade clause in the future. For now though, he just needs to get back out on the court.
Siegel: Beal has been the face of the Wizards for quite some time now, just like Damian Lillard has been with the Portland Trail Blazers. People will always bring up the whole Beal to Los Angeles conversation and even the possibility of a team like the Miami Heat pursuing him, but Washington has made it clear for years that they have no intention of trading him and Beal himself has come out and said that he wants to win in Washington. In your opinion, if the struggles presented early on this season continue for the Wizards and they miss the playoffs yet again, do you think that the thought of requesting a trade and doing business under his true no-trade clause will come into play this offseason?
Hughes: I don’t think you can ever rule anything out. We all know how the NBA goes and entering his age 30 season, I am sure he is feeling a sense of urgency to find a winning situation. You know, the Wizards have found a pretty decent foundation, but it just hasn’t amounted to wins. I think Beal and Kristaps Porzingis compliment each other quite well, I think Kyle Kuzma is a solid third option, but they just haven’t been able to figure out the winning formula. Tommy Sheppard has said before that they have no intention of trading Bradley Beal, but if he was to ask out, then they would honor his request, just as they did with Russell Westbrook. For now though, I think Bradley Beal and the Wizards are just focused on getting him healthy and getting back in time for a playoff push.
Washington’s Plan Heading Towards The Trade Deadline [12:25]
With the NBA trade deadline on February 9, the Washington Wizards are expected to be busy. They want to make a real playoff push and with how talented the Eastern Conference is this season, there is very little room for error this season.
Will Barton, Kyle Kuzma, Rui Hachimura, Corey Kispert and Deni Avdija are all assets that Washington could look to leverage in trade talks this season, but what Washington will ultimately do ahead of the trade deadline remains a mystery [12:25].
Siegel: The Wizards will undoubtedly be a team to watch in regards to making a move ahead of the trade deadline. Teams are keeping an eye on some names on their roster and one rumor that came up recently involved Washington pursuing Jae Crowder from the Suns in a package that included Rui Hachimura. What do we make of this whole situation with Rui being made available and the Wizards pursuing Crowder?
Hughes: I did not think that the rumored deal made much sense since the Wizards would be selling so low on a guy like Rui Hachimura. However, I do think that Jae Crowder would help this team if they were able to acquire him. He plays a physical brand of defense this team needs more of and while he hasn’t been a great three-point shooter the last couple of years, that has always been a strong part of his game. Whether or not Rui Hachimura is available at the trade deadline, I think this is another scenario that could make sense for Washington since he did not get a contract extension and is set to hit restricted free agency in the summer. That definitely plays a factor here.
Siegel: Let’s say the Wizards were to combine the contracts of Will Barton and Rui Hachimura. Right there, that’s just over $20 million in outgoing salaries, enough for Washington to go out and possibly add another key secondary scoring weapon. Some names that may fit into this price range include: Tim Hardaway Jr. (Dallas Mavericks), Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets), Bojan Bogdanovic (Detroit Pistons), Evan Fournier (New York Knicks) and Gary Trent Jr. (Toronto Raptors). Who knows if they would pursue one of these guys mentioned, but they are all certainly possibilities for a franchise that is looking for added scoring depth and shooting depth on the wing.
Will Kyle Kuzma Be On The Move? [17:02]
One player who is being brought up right now in trade rumors league-wide is Kyle Kuzma. He does have one more year left on his contract, but it is a player option that many around the NBA are expecting him to opt out of to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Washington does not necessarily want to trade Kuzma, but should they get the sense that he will not remain with them long-term, they will definitely explore the possibility of dealing him.
Chase Hughes talked about Kuzma’s situation with the Wizards and what the team should look to get for him should they try to trade Kyle Kuzma.
Hughes [17:41]: “I think you would probably hope for a young player on a rookie contract and a first-round pick or two. That’s what the Wizards were really interested in when they had Davis Bertans last season and they didn’t get that type of offer, but I think you can definitely get that for Kyle Kuzma. I think if you can get some financial flexibility, a young player and some draft capital, that would probably be a pretty adequate return for Kyle Kuzma at the deadline this year.”
