Official Trade Thread - Part XLII

[badinage]

I think the guy to target is Fox.

They need a guy who can break down a D and get to the cup. They need athleticism, badly. I think Fox would alter the trajectory of the team. And I think he’s gettable.

Imagine Gafford with Fox. Lob City. A la last year w/ ‘brook. He’d get a few extra points a game.

The shooting would improve, thanks to better spacing. A good thing for Bertans, Kispert, Deni, and KCP. Who aren’t bad shooters — they just need more room to get shots off.

Remember when we were 10-3? It was because of many things, but among them — Dinwiddie was penetrating.

Last night the broadcast posted a stat. The best first quarter lineup includes Holiday *. I wonder why, but I have a hunch. Fox is Holiday x 10.

Give ‘em Rui and Harrell. Or whatever. Find a third team and move the pieces around.

Gafford
Kuzma
Deni
Beal
Fox
KCP
Bryant
Neto
Bertans
Kispert
Holiday
Etc.


(* By the way, Deni haters/skeptics/haven’tseenthelight-ers: their best first quarter and fourth quarter lineups include Deni. And he hasn’t even scratched the surface of who he is as a player.)

[dckingsfan]

I think the guy to target is Fox.

It is interesting in that Sacramento has a dearth of quality forwards with the exception of Harrison Barnes. And we could use a guard that could repeatedly break down the D (although maybe Dinwiddie will become that again).

So, on the surface they look like a good trading partner. My guess is that they are going to want Kuzma and another forward. I think it would get complicated. Something like Fox/Bagley for Bertans, Kuzma, Rui and Holiday.

Not sure it makes us a better team this year. I guess your guard rotation is Fox/Dinwiddie/Beal F: (KCP/Avdija/Kispert) C (Gafford/Harrell/Bryant). It seems like our forwards would be mismatched in development time to the rest of the team.

I just don't know how to make this trade work.

[Ruzious]

Q Mayo latest idiocy…DET is not giving away Grant for peanuts. Dream on boy…

Read on Twitter

?s=21

I can't fathom a viable offer for Grant that doesn't include Deni *or* Rui. Kispert/Bryant doesn't get it done.

Can someone explain how Grant is THAT much better of a player/asset than Kuz?
Age: Kuz is 1.5 years younger than Grant
Contract: Kuz makes the same amount (40M), but with an additional year. Grant makes 50% more annually!
Skill set/archetype: Both versatile wings that are a bit of Jack of all Trades.

Stats: Both have a TS of ~54% and similar AST:TOV ratio. Grant gathers more STOCKS, while Kuz rebounds at almost double the rate.

Now, I'd give the nod to Grant due to his increased usage...but is he really that much more valuable than Kuz?

Not to mention Kuz is on probably the best streak of his career and it just might be for real. And... he's got usage of both thumbs.

[Frichuela]

Trade proposal to save Wes from himself by getting rid of Neto and acquiring a more reliable 3rd guard with potential:

Coby White and Troy Brown for Harrell and Neto.

We solve the logjam at center too…Give Bryant and Gafford more playing time. We can also use Hachimura as small ball center next to Deni and Kuz if need be.

For the Bulls they get two reliable vets to boost their bench, Harrell in particular.

Ps: I also like Ayo a lot but I think the Bulls are unlikely to bite and trade him (and more likely to part ways with Coby White).

Dinwiddie/White
Beal/Kispert
KCP/Deni
Kuzma/Hachimura/Bertans
Gafford/Bryant

[FAH1223]

Trade proposal to save Wes from himself by getting rid of Neto and acquiring a more reliable 3rd guard with potential:

Coby White and Troy Brown for Harrell and Neto.

We solve the logjam at center too…Give Bryant and Gafford more playing time. We can also use Hachimura as small ball center next to Deni and Kuz if need be.

For the Bulls they get two reliable vets to boost their bench, Harrell in particular.

Ps: I also like Ayo a lot but I think the Bulls are unlikely to bite and trade him (and more likely to part ways with Coby White).

In terms of backup PGs, how about Corey Joseph? He atleast plays defense and has championship pedigree

[Frichuela]

Trade proposal to save Wes from himself by getting rid of Neto and acquiring a more reliable 3rd guard with potential:

Coby White and Troy Brown for Harrell and Neto.

We solve the logjam at center too…Give Bryant and Gafford more playing time. We can also use Hachimura as small ball center next to Deni and Kuz if need be.

For the Bulls they get two reliable vets to boost their bench, Harrell in particular.

Ps: I also like Ayo a lot but I think the Bulls are unlikely to bite and trade him (and more likely to part ways with Coby White).

In terms of backup PGs, how about Corey Joseph? He atleast plays defense and has championship pedigree

Yes. Why not. Problem is who can we trade to the Pistons for him. I would not like to part ways with any of our youngsters…

[Ruzious]

With Lillard out about 2 months, does that make teams focus more on looking to trade for Beal?

I think Harrell would be a very attractive piece for Charlotte. After beating Philly, they're now 4 games over .500 with just Plumlee at center. That's a very good team at positions 1 through 4.

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

Excerpt on BEAL

What’s your opinion about how Bradley and Spencer have played together? By the numbers, their two-man lineup is a net minus-7.2 per 100 possessions. (Through Jan. 11’s game against Oklahoma City, it’s now minus-5.5.)

I’m not as concerned. How many games have they really been on the court together? It’s not as many as we would have liked. I think Bradley is an All-Star. I think he’s an All-NBA player, and I think it’s easy for guys to play with him. I think Spencer is a guy that they complement each other.

Again, you’ve got to be patient. Last I checked, Spencer’s got a three-year deal, not a 40-game deal. It takes time for things to kind of come together. They’ve still got to figure out each other. The whole big part about patience is you actually do have to exercise it and be patient. Forty games isn’t enough to say this is working or not working. We’ve seen it when it can really work. We’ve seen that they can play well.

They probably defer too much, honestly. I think sometimes we want to see Bradley take a game over. We want to see Spencer take a game over. I think it’s just their nature to want to involve everybody, and that’s a great thing to have. That’s a great quality of a basketball player to want to involve everybody. But there’s also that point in the game where you say: “OK, it’s your time. You’ve got to take this game over. We need you.” They’re both capable of doing that, obviously.

You mentioned Bradley, is it correct that the extension offer the team made on Oct. 1 is still on the table?

Yes. There’s no reason to take it off. It stands all year. He can sign it all season. I’ve never been anything but transparent. We delivered it the first day that it was available. That’s out of respect to him. He’s an All-NBA player, and we expect him to be an All-Star again this year, and I think he’ll be there at the end for All-NBA. That’s a matter of respect. I think for him he’s going to do what’s very best in his interest. And for the franchise, it’s the same. We’ve all shared these things. I know people like to regurgitate and pull things up, and it’s going to be the same answer it was last time.

I would understand from his perspective why there’s a financial incentive to wait until the offseason. It makes perfect financial sense. But with the trade deadline coming up, do you have to consider whether to trade him now if you don’t have any clarity as to what he would do as an unrestricted free agent this summer?

I understand the question. I can only keep coming back to the same things I say over and over again: We have constant dialogue. And I’ve been very transparent. He’s been very transparent. We want the same things. We want this to work, and I see every reason to believe we’ll keep moving forward.

Do you need to have some sort of non-binding verbal commitment from him before the deadline that he plans to re-sign this summer?

I think you judge people by their actions. I think we both have been very direct and clear with each other. Ownership has been very direct. His agent, too. We’re all on the same page. We want the same things. I don’t need an assurance. I don’t think he needs an assurance. We keep going forward.



One of the hallmarks of your stewardship of this franchise is that you’ve divested contracts that are above $40 million a year. If Bradley does re-sign, his contract would be north of probably $45 million per year. Would there be any concern of devoting such a large chunk of the cap to a single player?

No. I don’t think so. In the NBA, you have to have a cornerstone to your franchise. It’s the cost of doing business, quite frankly. When you want to get better, when you want to continue to compete at a higher level and get better every year, it’s going to be with the players.

I think (Beal is) one of the top players at his position in the league. Obviously, he’s been identified as that through All-NBA (voting), through All-Star (selections) and, quite frankly, just his resume in 10 years of what he’s capable of doing at his position.

Our goal is to continue to build a team around him and elevate. We have a better record this year at this time than we did the year before. That’s progress. We have a lot more veteran players on our team that we added this summer. I see the growth in our young players with Deni, with Daniel Gafford. I think you’re gonna see Thomas soon. We’ll see Rui soon. Those are four young players that are coming up below guys like Bradley Beal, Spencer, Kuzma, Pope, Trezz. Those are all pretty qualified players above, and we have young players below. And I think that’s how you build a team. You don’t want to be way too young or way too old. You want to have balance, and I think that our roster has some balance. I think our contracts are balanced-out now. I think that gives you an opportunity, especially around the deadline, to look and see if there’s a way to improve your team. Certainly in the offseason, it gives us opportunities to do things. So I’m really excited with where we’re at.

We don’t get too high or too low. I can’t say that enough. But I do believe our expectations are to continue to get better, and we’ve shown that this team is a good team starting out. We hit some tough times, like everybody in the league. But that’s a lot of the season: 15 games to have guys in and out of the lineup. We’ve played eight call-up guys. No one’s feeling sorry for us — and they shouldn’t.

But for me, I can’t make blink judgments based off of those games. We were a helluva shot away (with DeMar DeRozan’s 3-point game-winner) from beating Chicago the other night. We were all over Charlotte. We’ve done some good things. And then we’ve had some tough losses, too.

Quite honestly, every night in the NBA, you need all your players to be successful. And then the key when you don’t have those guys is the depth and the next person up. I think it’s been exhausting a little bit for the coaching staff and for the players when you don’t have those guys. On a nightly basis, when you’re missing somebody, and you’re kind of adjusting on the fly, it’s hard to get that consistent approach out on the court. I guess you would want to call it “chemistry.” But for players, you need to play together for a while before you really get to know each other. It seems like anytime we start to get a little bit of that, somebody else goes out, right?

One thing I can’t say enough about is I’m so proud of the kids that we called up from the Go-Go, particularly just to be able to realize their dream, certainly, by getting to the NBA. That allowed us to keep going. We didn’t miss games. (Players on 10-day contracts) kind of held the league together, quite honestly. Chris Paul pointed that out.

We are very grateful to all the 10-day hardship players. I think Greg Monroe’s been exactly what we hoped he would be when he signed on and came to the Go-Go. We knew he’d be a fantastic mentor, but when called upon, he could go out and contribute on an NBA court. … That, plus all the call-ups that we had from the Go-Go, shows that that relationship has been fantastic and very valuable. And I’m really proud of that one. I’m really sad for Brad Wanamaker and for Tremont Waters; they came in and only got a chance to play one game, and COVID took them out for the rest of their contracts. That really stinks, because those guys are deserving of being in the NBA.

[keynote]

Mayo's podcast featured Laz Jackson, a reputable Pistons blogger (according to a Pistons fan I know). They discussed the following deal:
https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/7512766
Bertans/Kispert/Bryant/Todd for Grant/J. Jackson/Diallo, with the Wizards giving some draft capital (either a future 1RP, provided they can convince OKC to remove restrictions on their 1RP, or a pair of 2RPs deep into the future). Diallo would need to approve the trade.

[FAH1223]

Mayo's podcast featured Laz Jackson, a reputable Pistons blogger (according to a Pistons fan I know). They discussed the following deal:
https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/7512766
Bertans/Kispert/Bryant/Todd for Grant/J. Jackson/Diallo, with the Wizards giving some draft capital (either a future 1RP, provided they can convince OKC to remove restrictions on their 1RP, or a pair of 2RPs deep into the future). Diallo would need to approve the trade.

Tommy ain't giving up both Kispert and Todd. In fact reading that interview he gave with The Athletic leads me to believe that won't happen.

I don't see a way you get Grant without giving up Rui OR Deni. Leonsis family interests in Japan and Israel be damned.

[CntOutSmrtCrazy]

Mayo's podcast featured Laz Jackson, a reputable Pistons blogger (according to a Pistons fan I know). They discussed the following deal:
https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/7512766
Bertans/Kispert/Bryant/Todd for Grant/J. Jackson/Diallo, with the Wizards giving some draft capital (either a future 1RP, provided they can convince OKC to remove restrictions on their 1RP, or a pair of 2RPs deep into the future). Diallo would need to approve the trade.

Tommy ain't giving up both Kispert and Todd. In fact reading that interview he gave with The Athletic leads me to believe that won't happen.

I don't see a way you get Grant without giving up Rui OR Deni. Leonsis family interests in Japan and Israel be damned.

The biggest thing that should dissuade us from Grant who is already overrated is that team like Chicago and New York have interest. After their destruction at home versus the Nets last night, Bulls will likely go after a wing that can have a chance at defending the likes of Durant and Giannis. Last thing we should get into is a bidding war for I player that was great as a bench player on a reasonable contract but not so much anymore.

[FAH1223]

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[Ruzious]

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I'm surprised at how poorly Bogdanovic has played for them this season. Can we get him for Bertans and Neto? Nah, but might as well ask.

[Eli Babak]

Just trade Beal and start a new, fresh chapter in Wizards history. There's almost nothing worse than being mediocre.

I know business is business and Ted loves $$$ but let me yell at clouds. I can't wait to get my heart broken when they trade for someone like Jerami Grant and make the playoffs as 8th seed.

Read Tommy’s interview in The Athletic. Beal isn’t getting moved.

Well, I rarely watch games live nowadays so I'm not investing too much time in following the Wiz. I've been a fan of this team for over 10 years now (rookie numbers, I know, haha) and just kinda tired of this... but there's been much darker times too... Oh man.

[FAH1223]

Just trade Beal and start a new, fresh chapter in Wizards history. There's almost nothing worse than being mediocre.

I know business is business and Ted loves $$$ but let me yell at clouds. I can't wait to get my heart broken when they trade for someone like Jerami Grant and make the playoffs as 8th seed.

Read Tommy’s interview in The Athletic. Beal isn’t getting moved.

[nate33]

I think the guy to target is Fox.

It is interesting in that Sacramento has a dearth of quality forwards with the exception of Harrison Barnes. And we could use a guard that could repeatedly break down the D (although maybe Dinwiddie will become that again).

So, on the surface they look like a good trading partner. My guess is that they are going to want Kuzma and another forward. I think it would get complicated. Something like Fox/Bagley for Bertans, Kuzma, Rui and Holiday.

Not sure it makes us a better team this year. I guess your guard rotation is Fox/Dinwiddie/Beal F: (KCP/Avdija/Kispert) C (Gafford/Harrell/Bryant). It seems like our forwards would be mismatched in development time to the rest of the team.

I just don't know how to make this trade work.

This is a bad idea.

Fox makes $30M next year.
Beal will make $42M next year.
Dinwiddie will make $20M next year.

We would be devoting $92M to 3 backcourt players. That leaves just $53M for the other 12 players on the roster. Not to mention that it's going to take more than just Rui and Harrell to get him. It would definitely cost Rui plus one or both of Avdija and Kispert, and those guys are the only cheap forwards on the roster (because they are still on rookie deals). How the heck are you going to field a roster of competent players if all you have are full-priced guys on 2nd contracts? KCP, Bertans and Kuzma alone cost $43M. Pay one of Bryant or Harrell and we are already at the luxtax without accounting for the other 7 players on the roster, or our draft pick.

It was a terrible idea to pay Bertans $16M to be a backup. It would be insane to pay a backup guard $32M.

[nate33]

Trade proposal to save Wes from himself by getting rid of Neto and acquiring a more reliable 3rd guard with potential:

Coby White and Troy Brown for Harrell and Neto.

We solve the logjam at center too…Give Bryant and Gafford more playing time. We can also use Hachimura as small ball center next to Deni and Kuz if need be.

For the Bulls they get two reliable vets to boost their bench, Harrell in particular.

Ps: I also like Ayo a lot but I think the Bulls are unlikely to bite and trade him (and more likely to part ways with Coby White).

Dinwiddie/White
Beal/Kispert
KCP/Deni
Kuzma/Hachimura/Bertans
Gafford/Bryant

Bulls fans seem to accept that there is no room for Coby White on the roster and they basically include him as filler in trades. They are also enamored with Kuzma. So some sort of Kuzma for White plus 1st round pick trade would appear to be a nice, roster balancing move.

Though it seems unlikely that we will trade Kuzma if the plan is to keep Beal. They'd probably be more likely to trade Rui.

[NatP4]

Just trade Beal and start a new, fresh chapter in Wizards history. There's almost nothing worse than being mediocre.

I know business is business and Ted loves $$$ but let me yell at clouds. I can't wait to get my heart broken when they trade for someone like Jerami Grant and make the playoffs as 8th seed.

Read Tommy’s interview in The Athletic. Beal isn’t getting moved.

That wasn’t my takeaway at all. Sheppard did what he always does, say all the right things infront of the camera. There is 0% chance Sheppard let’s Beal hit UFA. It’s just GM malpractice

[nate33]

Just trade Beal and start a new, fresh chapter in Wizards history. There's almost nothing worse than being mediocre.

I know business is business and Ted loves $$$ but let me yell at clouds. I can't wait to get my heart broken when they trade for someone like Jerami Grant and make the playoffs as 8th seed.

Read Tommy’s interview in The Athletic. Beal isn’t getting moved.

That wasn’t my takeaway at all. Sheppard did what he always does, say all the right things infront of the camera. There is 0% chance Sheppard let’s Beal hit UFA. It’s just GM malpractice

It's possible that that was just GM-speak. But it really seemed like Sheppard has extreme confidence that Beal will sign the 5-year max in DC rather than depart for another team who can't pay him as much.

I don't think he is necessarily wrong in the assumption. My problem isn't that he is taking on the small risk that Beal leaves. My problem is that he is seriously considering paying Beal $225M over 5 years. That absolutely puts a cap on the success of this franchise. With that much money devoted to Beal, and with no chance of tanking, it will be completely impossible to add a player who is as good or better than him. And if Beal is your best player, you are no better than a 45-win team, and that might be optimistic.

Frankly, I've grown tired of Beal's demeanor. He's a good guy and unquestionably a dedicated, hard worker, but I think the Wizards have been "his team" for too long now. Neither the coaches nor upper management can discipline him when he does lazy stuff like failing to get back on D because he is barking at the refs. And when a coach can't hold a team's best player to a high standard, he can't hold anyone to a high standard. That ultimately inspires a losing mentality.

[Ruzious]

Read Tommy’s interview in The Athletic. Beal isn’t getting moved.

That wasn’t my takeaway at all. Sheppard did what he always does, say all the right things infront of the camera. There is 0% chance Sheppard let’s Beal hit UFA. It’s just GM malpractice

It's possible that that was just GM-speak. But it really seemed like Sheppard has extreme confidence that Beal will sign the 5-year max in DC rather than depart for another team who can't pay him as much.

I don't think he is necessarily wrong in the assumption. My problem isn't that he is taking on the small risk that Beal leaves. My problem is that he is seriously considering paying Beal $225M over 5 years. That absolutely puts a cap on the success of this franchise. With that much money devoted to Beal, and with no chance of tanking, it will be completely impossible to add a player who is as good or better than him. And if Beal is your best player, you are no better than a 45-win team, and that might be optimistic.

Frankly, I've grown tired of Beal's demeanor. He's a good guy and unquestionably a dedicated, hard worker, but I think the Wizards have been "his team" for too long now. Neither the coaches nor upper management can discipline him when he does lazy stuff like failing to get back on D because he is barking at the refs. And when a coach can't hold a team's best player to a high standard, he can't hold anyone to a high standard. That ultimately inspires a losing mentality.

Well said. And Beal's a very smart guy. These are things he understands intellectually. What gets me is - he knows how that absurd contract will drastically limit what the team can do - he's going to be making over $50 mil a year towards the end of that contract. Is he all about the money, or does he care about winning? He's entitled to be all about the money, but don't be a phony about it. Own up to it, if that's the case.

I'm still holding out hope that he sees this is not how he wants his legacy to be, and he will ask for a trade.