Next up in the OKC Thunder trade deadline series T.I. looks at the Washington Wizards who hit trade deadline week once more mired in bad luck.
As we hit trade deadline day the OKC Thunder along with their 29 opponents will actively be looking to increase their roster depth and make a move to improve their chances of a deep playoff run.
Heading into the week news out of Washington was their owner was committed to sticking with his trio of talent of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. Then the other shoe dropped…..John Wall slipped at home injuring himself. Or to be more succinct he tore his Achilles tendon which means he’ll miss the entirety of next season. Talk about a major hit.
This injury to Wall isn’t like a typical Achilles injury to an NBA player. Unlike DeMarcus Cousins, for example, Wall relies on his speed as his primary talent. How this injury will affect that won’t be known for an entire year. On top of that, the Wizards are committed to Wall on the super max deal (similar to Russell Westbrook’s deal). Washington will be doling out $38,150,000 next season to an idle player. Then in each of the next three seasons he’ll earn $41,202,000, $44,254,000 and
$47,306,000 respectively. OUCH!
John Wall’s injury is devastating considering the contract, his playing style and his past injury issues. That said, I’m told it won’t have a major impact on team’s goal at the trade deadline. Stay the course, get under luxury tax is still priority.
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) February 5, 2019
As per Haberstroh’s tweet apparently, the Wizards brain trust shifted gears in a day as they sent Otto Porter Jr. to the Bulls in exchange for Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis. My immediate thought was okay so the Wizards just added more malcontents to the locker room. This because Portis was the guy you may recall who punched Nikola Mirotic in practice and Parker isn’t shy about stating he has zero intention of playing defense.
So, this deal feels more like Ernie Grunfield making the first moves to try to make a change to their roster and I won’t be surprised if Washington finally decides to make other sweeping changes at the very least this summer if not prior to the deadline.
This season has entered the trade deadline with a bang as teams are making earlier than usual moves because of that I’ve had to switch up several of my primers as Markieff Morris was a player I was considering but he’s since been dealt.
With that let’s dive into the Wizards.