NBA Trade Talk: Washington's Core of Assets Could be Valuable at Deadline
As the trade deadline approaches — officially a month away — there appears to be more buyers than sellers across the NBA. With that in mind, the Washington Wizards could be one of the few sellers. Clearly in a rebuild, this isn’t a competitive team. With that in mind, the Wizards do have quite a few very valuable pieces that would provide a significant return on the trade market.
The Oklahoma City Thunder could be looking to make a move as a buyer at the deadline next month, and would actually benefit from several players in Washington currently. While Kyle Kuzma, Mike Muscala and even Daniel Gafford make sense, there's another player that fits even more perfectly.
The player that makes the most sense from a skillset and age standpoint is forward Deni Avdija. While he is just 23 years old and a piece the Wizards could decide to keep and build with, he’s also the type of player that makes sense to move if the asset package coming back gives you a chance to be better long-term.
Oklahoma City has an incredible amount of assets to make something like this work. Whether it’s picks or other young players the Wizards are after, the Thunder have it all.
Avdija recently 4-year, $55 million contract extension with the Wizards, which is very manageable for a team like OKC if there’s belief he can continue to grow as an impactful player. He’s a full-time starter averaging 11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting a career-high 34.7% from beyond the arc. At 6-foot-9, he would fit nicely in Oklahoma City, likely as a key bench reserve, at least initially.
For Washington to part ways, it would take a solid package. Given the Thunder can overpay, it can be done. Especially since Avdija is young and under contract through the 2027-28 season, this is the type of player OKC should be willing to swing for the fences with.
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