Wizards Encouraged to Deal Injured Wing for Stalling Defender

The Washington Wizards got trade season started themselves earlier this week, making the first midseason deal of the 2025-26 campaign with the Atlanta Hawks in a major swap for 4x All-Star Trae Young.

Saying goodbye to a valuable expiring contract in CJ McCollum and beloved home-grown prospect Corey Kispert couldn't have been easy, especially since no picks changed hands in the agreement, but this is the move that'll initiates all of the Wizards' league-wide peers. Market value has been set, and the Wizards, still holding onto a few tasty contracts, aren't expected to stop shopping now.

Thriving pieces like Marvin Bagley III and the expiring Khris Middleton will command some attention, should the Wizards get lucky, but some league insiders see Washington taking an alternative route to continue icing the rebuild.

ESPN's assortment of reporters cobbled together a few trades that are admittedly smaller than the Young deal, envisioning the Wizards sending Cam Whitmore to the New York Knicks as well as an upcoming 2026 second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs. While Geurschon Yabusele would move from New York to Texas, the Wizards would net a more defensively-tilted prospect in Jeremy Sochan.

"For the Wizards, this is a talent play, just as acquiring Whitmore was last summer," Kevin Pelton wrote. "Sochan was a lottery pick in 2022, and it's possible a change of scenery, plus playing with an elite facilitator in Trae Young and a floor-stretching 7-footer in Alex Sarr, could help unlock his game. Whitmore struggled with his efficiency in Washington before being diagnosed with deep-vein thrombosis, which has him sidelined."

San Antonio Spurs Forward Jeremy Sochan — Feb 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) moves in position against Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) and forward Justin Champagnie (9) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Why Would Washington Do This?

While moving on from the injured Whitmore amidst his indefinite injury rehab makes a bit of sense in a vacuum, no way would the Wizards attach draft capital to a margin move like this. If they held the line on including any future picks, let alone key prospects, in exchange for an actual star in Trae Young, why would they punt on an asset that's just about to be spent like the upcoming second-rounder in question?

In fact, there's reason to believe that the Wizards would hold more leverage than any of the other two teams participating in this exchange. The Knicks-Yabusele pairing has failed, leaving the once-premium signee thoroughly on the outside-looking-in of New York's rotation, while Sochan has similarly fallen out of favor with the Spurs in year four with the team that once drafted him.

He's averaging career-lows in minutes per game at 14.6 and nightly points with 4.9, still looking a long ways away from developing a coherent jump shot. And while Pelton writes that he may flourish alongside competent point guard and stretch-five play, why didn't he succeed alongside Victor Wembanyama and his bevy of back court passers?

San Antonio Spurs Center Victor Wembanyama and Forward Jeremy Sochan — Feb 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Wizards are marching through year-three of the rebuild, and even if they're just acquiring Young to turn him for an even better profit than what the Hawks raked in, this also doubles as a talent play. They're angling to enter the following season ready to compete, and if they're going to continue loading up on talent, they won't sacrifice any precious picks for a reclamation project so clearly along the margins.

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