Wizards Latest Team Showing Interest In Pacers Malcolm Brogdon
With the 2021-22 season not going according to plan for the Indiana Pacers, they are heading into the offseason very open-minded in terms of possible deals that will be coming their way.
Not only will the Pacers face questions about the NBA Draft and possibly moving out of the sixth overall pick, but they will also face scenarios in which Malcolm Brogdon will be brought up in trade talks.
A handful of teams have already been mentioned as a possible suitor for Brogdon in the offseason and the Washington Wizards are the latest team looking into the possibility of trading for the Pacers’ guard, according to one league source with knowledge of the situation.
Brogdon, 29, recently signed a two-year veteran extension with the Indiana Pacers back in October, a few months before the franchise unloaded Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings at the trade deadline in a package to acquire last year’s 12th overall selection in Tyrese Haliburton as their future star in the backcourt.
Now under contract through the 2024-25 season, the Pacers seem willing to discuss the possibility of trading Malcolm Brogdon, especially since the last few seasons have resulted in him chunks of time due to injuries.
Since signing with the Pacers ahead of the 2019-20 season, Brogdon has only played in 146 of the team’s 227 games in this span, about 64.3% of Indiana’s total games. He only played in a total of 36 games this season, mainly stemming from right Achilles soreness.
Much like the Indiana Pacers, the Washington Wizards are a team in the Eastern Conference looking for answers heading into the offseason, however, they seem to be a little bit ahead of Indiana in terms of getting back to the playoffs.
Keeping Bradley Beal long-term is Washington's main priority as a franchise entering the offseason and bringing in a player like Brogdon to pair with him in the backcourt could make a lot of sense.
The Wizards have virtually no talent in their backcourt right now and after signing Spencer Dinwiddie turned out to be a failure last offseason, GM Tommy Sheppard will be looking to right this wrong.
Adding another key talent next to Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma is something the Wizards will be exploring in the offseason.
In order to trade Malcolm Brogdon, the Pacers will be wanting immediate value and talent that can make a difference for them right now. Washington may not be willing to surrender too much value, but a deal consisting of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rui Hachimura and a draft pick could be enough to get a deal done, especially since the cap figures would basically match up for both teams.
Scheduled to pick 10th in this upcoming year’s draft, the Wizards have a very tradeable first-round pick that could be leveraged in a deal for a player of Brogdon’s caliber.
The Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans are a handful of other teams that are expected to show a level of trade interest in the Pacers’ veteran guard this summer, sources say.
Now through six seasons in the NBA, Malcolm Brogdon has averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and has shot 37.6% from three-point range for his career. One of the better names available on the trade market entering the offseason, Brogdon will continue to be brought up in trade conversations ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft in June.
