Wizards Urged to Trade Veteran Players

The Washington Wizards should be busy on the trade market this season.

Mar 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Vasa Micic (22) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are in need of bringing some youth into the building, which means the players that aren't on the franchise's timeline need to be assigned to some new homes.

Players like Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas add more value as trade assets than on-court pieces. That's why Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz believes all three of them need to be put on the trade market.

"Kuzma, Brogdon and Valančiūnas should all be traded as soon as possible," Swartz writes. "For Kuzma and Brogdon, trades can take place immediately. Both could be starters on playoff teams and shouldn't have to suffer through a rebuilding year here. Valančiūnas can't be dealt until December 15 after signing with the Wizards this offseason and will have a few months to get his stock up before then."

The Wizards will likely get the most value out of Kuzma, considering he has been one of the team's leading scorers since he arrived back in 2021-22. He was on the trade block last season, but the Wizards didn't find a trade that suited them.

Brogdon was acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers on draft night in exchange for the No. 14 overall pick and Deni Avdija. That trade signaled that the Wizards were looking to move on from some of their younger top assets like Avdija. Now, they can also look to flip Brogdon in order to get even more assets from that original deal.

As for Valanciunas, the Wizards will likely feature him a lot during the first half of the season and listen to offers before February's trade deadline. The Wizards should be hearing calls from any center-needy team in the middle of the season, and they can trade him to whoever wants him the most.

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