Inside The Wizards

Trading Expiring Contracts for Draft Picks Would Hurt Wizards

As the Washington Wizards rebuild, they need to be careful about getting even more draft capital.

Tyrone Montgomery

Apr 13, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Washington Wizards guard Colby Jones (1) and forward Tristan Vukcevic (00) defend Miami Heat guard Josh Christopher (8) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Apr 13, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Washington Wizards guard Colby Jones (1) and forward Tristan Vukcevic (00) defend Miami Heat guard Josh Christopher (8) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
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Balance is something the Washington Wizards must keep in mind as they continue their rebuild.

The Wizards have been stockpiling draft picks over the last couple of seasons. This was done because they went on towards a full rebuild to change the odds of the team being successful again. The Bradley Beal era ended right before our very eyes. In a mock trade by Bleacher Report, it was proposed that the Wizards should trade expiring contracts to get more draft picks. Here are just a few reasons why that would be a bad idea.

Having too many players around the same young age may complicate the team’s chemistry. It’s important to have a balance of age groups within a company. When you think of companies with many young employees, you don’t always get the service you would hope for. That comes with maturity. You need an adult to set the tone for the rest of the team. 

Additionally, many young athletes have something to prove. They all want to be the star, they all want max contracts, and they all want attention. Everyone on one team can’t get all of those things. Everyone must understand and know their roles. Having a lot of young players would make it difficult for everyone to know their roles.

When the Wizards traded for Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart this season, they became a different team. They were much better at closing out games. They were much better down the stretch. The Wizards made smarter basketball plays throughout the game with those veterans. Trading them for even more draft picks would set the team back further and stunt the growth of the young players already on the roster. The Wizards would do well to keep a veteran presence around.

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Tyrone Montgomery
TYRONE MONTGOMERY

Tyrone Montgomery Jr has covered the NBA, NFL, and NCAA Sports since 2017 where he has engaged in color commentary, writing articles, interviewing of both players and coaches, photography, videography, and even the recording of multiple podcasts as well. This has shown to be a strong passion of his as he continues along this path covering the Washington Wizards

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