Surprising Wizards Guard Named in Trade Proposal

Could the Washington Wizards make a shocking trade with the San Antonio Spurs?

Oct 30, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are widely expected to make some trades this season, as they are clearly not contending and have some veterans that can fetch decent value.

But do the Wizards actually have a surprise move up their sleeves?

Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes seems to think so, naming Washington guard Bilal Coulibaly as a trade fit for the San Antonio Spurs.

"Presumably valued more highly by the Wizards than Deni Avdija, Coulibaly might still be gettable if the Spurs put enough picks on the table," Hughes wrote. "Washington dealt Avdija away right after a breakout age-23 season, taking back a future first and the No. 14 pick from Portland. Maybe San Antonio could offer something even better than that to land Wemby's old Metropolitans 92 teammate."

I get the sentiment considering that Coulibaly and Victor Wembenyama were teammates in France (as Hughes mentioned), but beyond that, it seems hard to fathom the Wizards actively looking to move Coulibaly at this point.

Washington has a solid young nucleus that includes Coulibaly, Corey Kispert and rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George, and Coulibaly may actually be the most interesting prospect of the bunch.

Coulibaly enjoyed an impressive rookie showing, averaging 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while flashing incredible defensive potential last season.

This year, the 20-year-old appears to be on the verge of breaking out, as he went into the Wizards' Monday night matchup with the Golden State Warriors registering 19.4 points, 6.2 boards and 1.2 steals a night on 60.7/47.6/79.2 shooting splits.

Will those percentages hold? Almost certainly not, but the fact that Coulibaly is off to such a scintillating start lends more credence to the fact that he should be serving as a building block for Washington moving forward; not a trade chip.

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