Jaden Hardy is Making it Easier to Trade Wizards Forward

The Washington Wizards are about to enter a new stage of the rebuild: evaluation. This means young players will be watched closely by the front office.

Every bad game will be analyzed, and every stellar performance will be put to the test in the next game. This ultimately means some players may be traded or told to hit the road.

The Wizards' newest addition, Jaden Hardy, is the reason this conversation is happening. He is a sparkplug on offense and can provide a quick 10 points off the bench.

The problem is that another player, Cam Whitmore, was traded to Washington this past Summer for the same reason. Now with Hardy, the question is: who should the team keep, and who should they try to move next season?

The Case for Whitmore

WASHINGTON WIZARDS FORWARD CAM WHITMORE — Nov 3, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Washington forward Cam Whitmore (1) looks on during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Whitmore was on the team before Hardy and is a local guy. He is from Odenton in Maryland, so he knows the DMV like the back of his hand. It is always nice to have a guy on the squad who understands what the team means to the community. This is not an emotion-based decision; it is a statistics-based one.

Before having to sit out the season with a blood clot, Whitmore was averaging 9.2 points on 45.6% shooting, the best in his career thus far. The only two problems with Whitmore are that he declined as a 3-point shooter and that he struggles on defense. Other than that, there is a ton to like about an athletic freak like him.

The Case for Hardy

WASHINGTON WIZARDS GUARD JADEN HARD — Dec 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Hardy has only played three games in a Wizards jersey, but has shown out in all of them. This season, he is averaging 7.4 points on 40.6% shooting. In Washington alone, he is averaging 13.3 points on 43.3% shooting. Those stats show there is not much difference, and Whitmore actually has the edge.

Hardy, though, has been a much better 3-point shooter. This season alone, Hardy is shooting 39.2% from distance and 52.6% in Washington on 6.3 attempts per game. This is where Hardy has an edge. His disadvantages, though, are that he also struggles on defense and is slightly older than Whitmore.

Who Should Be Traded?

By the stats, Whitmore should be the one traded. If we look at external factors, Hardy should be traded. It will be fun to debate next season when both players are healthy. However, right now Hardy has the edge over Whitmore.

Hardy has two things over Whitmore: playoff experience and availability. Hardy was a key part of the Dallas Mavericks' 2024 Finals team. He has made it to the biggest stage in basketball as a rotational player, which is something very few players on the Wizards can say.

Hardy has also been available for more career games. So far, Whitmore has only been available for 50.4%of games in his career. Hardy, on the other hand, has appeared in 71.1% of games in his career. He is able ot stay on the court a little more than Whitmore at the moment.

On those two factors, Hardy has an edge over Whitmore in taking the offensive sparkplug role off the bench. This can change next season, though, when Whitmore returns from injury.

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