RealGM

WAS in: Dalton Knecht
LAL in: Justin Champagnie


I'm not entirely sure how to gauge Champagnie's value. He had a solid, under-the-radar season last year, but he seems to be out of the Wizards' rotation so far this season. He could be a great buy-low candidate for a contender in need of defense and shooting on the wing at a favorable contract. How much value should the Wizards realistically expect in return for him?

Edit: Removed the swap.

Trading away swap rights 4 years out and a recent FRP, disappointing as he may have been in the last year, is not a buy low for a guy that has been a 2 way player for 3 different teams.

Mavrelous wrote:Trading away swap rights 4 years out and a recent FRP, disappointing as he may have been in the last year, is not a buy low for a guy that has been a 2 way player for 3 different teams.

I originally had Knecht for Champagnie straight up but that didn't seem fair. Champagnie was a legit quality player last season.

This seems more like the price the Lakers would pay for Bilal. And Bilal is the better fit.

dcstanley wrote:

Mavrelous wrote:Trading away swap rights 4 years out and a recent FRP, disappointing as he may have been in the last year, is not a buy low for a guy that has been a 2 way player for 3 different teams.

I originally had Knecht for Champagnie straight up but that didn't seem fair. Champagnie was a legit quality player last season.

Wouldn't call him a legit quality rotation player, he was 20 MPG bench player on the worst team in the league.
Knecht holds more value, even with his struggles.

The Wizards aren't interested at all. Champagnie is better than Knecht and actually a bit younger as well. And he is locked into vet minimum deal for two more seasons after this one. His numbers are legit. He is a good role player who always makes the Wizards better when he is on the floor. He rebounds like crazy, hit's catch-and-shoot 3's, never turns the ball over, and defends 2 through 4 well. He is actually the 3rd best wing on the roster behind Kyshawn and Middleton. The only reason he isn't playing is because the Wizards need to assess and develop younger players and the Wizards aren't really interested in winning games this year anyhow.

Finally, the Wizards already have their own version of Knecht in Corey Kispert. They don't need another one.

Honestly, I'd rather trade Whitmore than Champagnie, but I have no interest at all in Knecht. I want future draft assets.

All that said, I think the OP is smart to be targeting a guy like Champagnie. Champagnie would be a great get for any contending team looking for forward depth with virtually no cap impact. Champagnie would be a legit rotation player on any team and can stay on the floor in a playoff game because he is a solid defender and 3-point shooter. He is actually being wasted on the Wizards because they don't really value the fact that he is so cheap because the Wizards don't have any cap issues.

I don’t see the Wizards doing this. They already have a player in Kispert who is signed long term and has the same role as Knecht would. Justin is signed long term at a dirt cheap contract.

I think the Wizards would consider trading Champagnie because they don't really value his low cap number since they are rebuilding and have more cap room than they need anyway. It seems from a value arbitrage standpoint, lots of other teams would value him more than the Wizards would, so a trade seems likely.

But the Wizards would be looking for pick capital in return, not a redundant role playing wing. I'd be interested in trading Champagnie plus the 2026 OKC pick the Wizards own in exchange for a 2026 FRP that's a bit higher in the draft. Something in the 18-22 range would be about right.

The Wizards already paying a high price for a guy in the mold of Dalton Knect, they call him Corey Kispert.

Now if you want to trade future draft assets for Kispert, for Middleton, for CJ McCollum . . . just call (or if you value Champagnie at the original value and not just Knecht).

I don't think Champagnie is anything special tbh, but he's a playable 10th/11th man who you can put in a game at the wing and not get killed. That plus his low cap number definitely has some value to the right team, but if the Wiz FO sees something in Knecht I could see why they pull the trigger on this.

penbeast0 wrote:Now if you want to trade future draft assets for Kispert, for Middleton, for CJ McCollum . . . just call (or if you value Champagnie at the original value and not just Knecht).

I don't see any of these guys (or Champagnie) bringing back more than a couple 2nds given their respective ages and contract statuses. Maybe a protected swap at best.

gswhoops wrote:

penbeast0 wrote:Now if you want to trade future draft assets for Kispert, for Middleton, for CJ McCollum . . . just call (or if you value Champagnie at the original value and not just Knecht).

I don't see any of these guys (or Champagnie) bringing back more than a couple 2nds given their respective ages and contract statuses. Maybe a protected swap at best.

I don't either so we will probably keep them and let Middleton and CJ expire. But they are there and even a couple of 2nds is a good deal for them if we can match expiring for expiring to keep our cap space open rather than splitting it and kicking it down the line.

penbeast0 wrote:

gswhoops wrote:

penbeast0 wrote:Now if you want to trade future draft assets for Kispert, for Middleton, for CJ McCollum . . . just call (or if you value Champagnie at the original value and not just Knecht).

I don't see any of these guys (or Champagnie) bringing back more than a couple 2nds given their respective ages and contract statuses. Maybe a protected swap at best.

I don't either so we will probably keep them and let Middleton and CJ expire. But they are there and even a couple of 2nds is a good deal for them if we can match expiring for expiring to keep our cap space open rather than splitting it and kicking it down the line.

If that is what you want, you'd better get MIA on the phone quick before the league decides Terry Rozier can't be traded.