Inside The Wizards

Wizards Have Options With Marvin Bagley

The Washington Wizards could gain some value from their backup big man.

Jeremy Brener

Mar 1, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Washington Wizards forward Marvin Bagley III (35) guards Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Mar 1, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Washington Wizards forward Marvin Bagley III (35) guards Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Marvin Bagley III has had a whirlwind of an NBA career, which has led him to the Washington Wizards.

As the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Bagley was seen as one of the league's top prospects coming into the league. He was even taken one pick over perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic when the Sacramento Kings selected him.

However, he has yet to live up to those expectations, and it would be a surprise if he ever did. That being said, Bagley has still found a way to carve out a pretty sound career in the NBA.

Bagley, 25, averaged 11.7 points per game in 50 appearances last season with the Detroit Pistons and Wizards. Bagley was dealt to Washington along with Isaiah Livers from Detroit in exchange for Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari, who are both out of the league. Therefore, Washington appeared to have gotten the better end of the deal.

The Wizards have one year left to get some value out of Bagley, and it could come in a number of different ways.

As an expiring deal on a rebuilding team, Bagley could emerge as a trade target before February's deadline, which would allow the Wizards to get even more value out of him in the future, even if it is just a future second-round pick.

With Jonas Valanciunas signing with the team this offseason, Bagley is likely to come off the bench, which could limit his overall potential.

However, Bagley can still be a producer for the Wizards early in the season, and if he plays well enough, he might find himself playing for a contender in the second half of the year with a chance to impress other teams looking to sign him to a new contract in the summer.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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