Official Trade Thread Part XLVI

[DCZards]

Getting a FRP for Gaff was a good thing.

[nate33]

Last night, an announcer praised Gafford.

He said DG is physically strong and that other centers around the league don't like facing Gafford.

I think this is exactly backward. Gafford's biggest weakness is that he has a fairly weak base and gets pushed around in the paint. It's why he is a pretty bad post defender who can't handle guys like Jokic and Embiid at all.

I guess he is "strong" in that he has good hands and dunks with authority, but I doubt he's the kind of center that the opposition dreads facing (other than the concern of being posterized).

[nate33]

Getting a FRP for Gaff was a good thing.

Yup.

The issue is that Gafford's contract had just 2 years left, after which, he was going to be an unrestricted free agent. During those 2 years, we were certain to be in rebuilding mode so we didn't need his current production. And if we want his future production for the post-rebuild phase, we can still sign him as a free agent when his contract is up in 2026. We will have the cap room.

It was better for him to play these 2 seasons on a team that matters, and it was better for us to trade that unneeded current production for an asset that will provide value during the post-rebuild phase.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

His play was really exciting during the NBA Finals. It was good for his career that he was traded. People raved about his play.

I saw a postgame interview that Charles Barkley had with Daniel. That would not have happened with him still playing for the Wizards.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Back to the trade thread:

Besides Jimmy Butler, who is most likely to be traded?

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

[DCZards]

His play was really exciting during the NBA Finals. It was good for his career that he was traded. People raved about his play.

I saw a postgame interview that Charles Barkley had with Daniel. That would not have happened with him still playing for the Wizards.

No doubt the trade was good for Gaff. Happy for him. But it was also a good trade for the Zards. A win-win.

[AFM]

Read on Twitter

Not unhappy to hear he wants out, but dude shows up completely out of shape looking like a bum and wants out because of the teams "rough start"?

[The Consiglieri]

Might as well keep him if we're only getting 2nd rounders. ...

Why?

His ineptitude will help the tank the next two years. I'm not sure what they should do, though it definitely seems like those of us who said he should be moved last deadline, rather than kept against the argument that his value would likely only go up due to his contract structure were right. Sometimes you just need to take 80 cents on the dollar and not do a dance with injury/aging risk. We could have avoided this mess if we'd done that. Now its too late the only reason to move him now is to open up minutes, but you have to weigh the minutes vs his epic tanking skills.

[DCZards]

Kuz a “tank commander?” The Zards don’t need Kuz to lose games. This young team is fully capable of losing plenty of games without him.

Trade Kuz and get what you can for him, especially if it’s true that he doesn’t want to be here.

[9 and 20]

We stick with Kuz last year because he 'wants to be here,' and trade Gaff instead. Then he shows up fat and poops the bed and now wants to be traded. It's a mashup of Brad Beal and the Davis Bertans experience. The Grundle aura remains present.

Trade him to Minnesota!! Let him wear his pink sweater in Indiana or in Milwaukee.

[Jay81]

I don’t think we will see Kuzma again

[closg00]

Kuz will probably be jetted for a couple of 2nd round picks

[The Consiglieri]

Read on Twitter

Hysterical, and yet another reason why I was utterly perplexed that they ran trade offers by him when he didnt have a NTC, its of a piece w/the stupidity of believing Beal was happy in DC. They're happy until they get paid and then are still losing, that's when they demand the trade, sooooooo, you always trade their ---, especially when you can't contend, full stop, period, ALWAYS. Doesn't matter that much in the grand scheme of things beyond a 1st being lost, and switched to the Gafford deal, but hugely annoying that we basically totally wasted this asset, just like Beal.

[The Consiglieri]

Kuz a “tank commander?” The Zards don’t need Kuz to lose games. This young team is fully capable of losing plenty of games without him.

Trade Kuz and get what you can for him, especially if it’s true that he doesn’t want to be here.

You're probably right, but I think it's possible the kiddo's surprise. We know exactly how --- Kuzma is, and how empty his performance calories are, but yeah, I have no problem with moving him. I think its probably worth it for the minutes, Im just incensed they were idiots last winter. Actually, exasperated is probably a better word for it. The inability to move what assets had worth since early '19 for payouts in a timely and smart manner, every single time, save Deni, is infuriating.

[nate33]

Read on Twitter

Hysterical, and yet another reason why I was utterly perplexed that they ran trade offers by him when he didnt have a NTC, its of a piece w/the stupidity of believing Beal was happy in DC. They're happy until they get paid and then are still losing, that's when they demand the trade, sooooooo, you always trade their ---, especially when you can't contend, full stop, period, ALWAYS. Doesn't matter that much in the grand scheme of things beyond a 1st being lost, and switched to the Gafford deal, but hugely annoying that we basically totally wasted this asset, just like Beal.

I think Doc has interpreted this narrative correctly.

The Wizards weren't politely giving Kuzma veto power on trades. The reality was that other teams wanted Kuzma, but only on his existing contract, and not after his 15% trade kicker. Upon receiving a trade offer, the Wizards were asking Kuzma to wave the trade kicker. When Kuzma refused, the other team wasn't interested in the trade. So the Wizards spun it to the media to imply that they were respectfully deferring to Kuzma's wishes.

[doclinkin]

I think Doc has interpreted this narrative correctly.

The Wizards weren't politely giving Kuzma veto power on trades. The reality was that other teams wanted Kuzma, but only on his existing contract, and not after his 15% trade kicker. Upon receiving a trade offer, the Wizards were asking Kuzma to wave the trade kicker. When Kuzma refused, the other team wasn't interested in the trade. So the Wizards spun it to the media to imply that they were respectfully deferring to Kuzma's wishes.

Especially since the media story came from Kuz first that they approached him and he demurred. Reporters then had the story confirmed by Winger with the spin that they didn’t really like the deal enough and blah blah blah.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Kuz a “tank commander?” The Zards don’t need Kuz to lose games. This young team is fully capable of losing plenty of games without him.

Trade Kuz and get what you can for him, especially if it’s true that he doesn’t want to be here.

Exactly.

Let him go ASAP.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Kuz a “tank commander?” The Zards don’t need Kuz to lose games. This young team is fully capable of losing plenty of games without him.

Trade Kuz and get what you can for him, especially if it’s true that he doesn’t want to be here.

You're probably right, but I think it's possible the kiddo's surprise. We know exactly how --- Kuzma is, and how empty his performance calories are, but yeah, I have no problem with moving him. I think its probably worth it for the minutes, Im just incensed they were idiots last winter. Actually, exasperated is probably a better word for it. The inability to move what assets had worth since early '19 for payouts in a timely and smart manner, every single time, save Deni, is infuriating.

The kiddos are good enough to surpass all four of the other bottom feeders that are tanking for Cooper Flagg.

So what? The fifth-worst record might be a Tracy McGrady or Dwayne Wade type player. I'm convinced that Derik Queen belongs in the top eight and is definitely a good fit for this team.

Just trade Kuzma.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think Doc has interpreted this narrative correctly.

The Wizards weren't politely giving Kuzma veto power on trades. The reality was that other teams wanted Kuzma, but only on his existing contract, and not after his 15% trade kicker. Upon receiving a trade offer, the Wizards were asking Kuzma to wave the trade kicker. When Kuzma refused, the other team wasn't interested in the trade. So the Wizards spun it to the media to imply that they were respectfully deferring to Kuzma's wishes.

Especially since the media story came from Kuz first that they approached him and he demurred. Reporters then had the story confirmed by Winger with the spin that they didn’t really like the deal enough and blah blah blah.

The moral of the story is to beware of the 15% trade kicker.

The trader kicker and the no-trade clause give players too much leverage, and they create trade impasses.