Inside The Wizards

Wizards Urged to Trade Veteran Players

The Washington Wizards should be busy on the trade market this season.

Jeremy Brener

Mar 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Vasa Micic (22) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Mar 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Vasa Micic (22) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are in need of bringing some youth into the building, which means the players that aren't on the franchise's timeline need to be assigned to some new homes.

Players like Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas add more value as trade assets than on-court pieces. That's why Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz believes all three of them need to be put on the trade market.

"Kuzma, Brogdon and Valančiūnas should all be traded as soon as possible," Swartz writes. "For Kuzma and Brogdon, trades can take place immediately. Both could be starters on playoff teams and shouldn't have to suffer through a rebuilding year here. Valančiūnas can't be dealt until December 15 after signing with the Wizards this offseason and will have a few months to get his stock up before then."

The Wizards will likely get the most value out of Kuzma, considering he has been one of the team's leading scorers since he arrived back in 2021-22. He was on the trade block last season, but the Wizards didn't find a trade that suited them.

Brogdon was acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers on draft night in exchange for the No. 14 overall pick and Deni Avdija. That trade signaled that the Wizards were looking to move on from some of their younger top assets like Avdija. Now, they can also look to flip Brogdon in order to get even more assets from that original deal.

As for Valanciunas, the Wizards will likely feature him a lot during the first half of the season and listen to offers before February's trade deadline. The Wizards should be hearing calls from any center-needy team in the middle of the season, and they can trade him to whoever wants him the most.

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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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