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WASHINGTON — With this season’s NBA trade deadline looming on Thursday afternoon, the Washington Wizards have some clear priorities and some, shall we say, “disputed” priorities.
What’s not in dispute, league sources told The Athletic, is that the Wizards would like to obtain future draft picks. What’s up for debate is just how eager the Washington front office is to move on from Kyle Kuzma.
This we know for certain from league sources: The Wizards hold a $12.4 million traded player exception that they got after sending Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks last year, and it expires on Feb. 10. Washington would love to use that exception to take on salary — perhaps as a facilitating team in a larger three- or four-team transaction — if the right pick, or picks, would be sent to the Wizards. A team with a traded player exception can take on salary without giving up salary.
Washington also would entertain parting with veterans Malcolm Brogdon and Marvin Bagley III, who are on expiring contracts, as well as center Richaun Holmes, whose $13.3 million salary for next season is guaranteed only for $250,000.
In their 18 months with the franchise, Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger and Wizards general manager Will Dawkins have already deconstructed much of the roster they inherited, convincing Bradley Beal to waive his no-trade clause for a trade to the Phoenix Suns and selling high on two young players, Deni Avdija and Gafford, previously assumed to be part of the Wizards’ long-term nucleus. Avdija’s trade to Portland, which brought back Brogdon, two future first-round picks (one of which was used to draft Bub Carrington) and a second-round pick, demonstrated how opportunistic Winger and Dawkins can be when the right deal is available.
So, which Wizards players could command trade offers? We’ll pore through the roster’s most likely candidates. Keep in mind that Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr are highly, highly, highly unlikely to be traded.
Kyle Kuzma
Potential fits: Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings.
Why the Wizards would trade him: League sources said the Wizards are more willing to trade Kuzma now than they were 12 months ago, when the team had an offer on the table from the Mavericks — an offer Winger felt lukewarm about. Winger decided not to accept the deal after Kuzma told Winger that he preferred to remain with the Wizards. Kuzma also has said that, if approached by Winger this time around, he would be more likely to want to move on and go elsewhere. It’s no secret that the 29-year-old forward has been frustrated by the Wizards’ historic levels of losing this season and has had difficulty adjusting to a less ball-dominant role.
League sources indicate that Kuzma’s trade value is at its lowest point of his Wizards tenure. This season mostly has been a struggle in large part because of injuries but also because the Wizards are devoting heavy minutes to their rookies — Carrington, George and Sarr — and Coulibaly, in his second season. Coulibaly and Jordan Poole have taken on enhanced ballhandling and playmaking roles, putting Kuzma off the ball more than he’d like. Kuzma is averaging 15.2 points per game (the lowest average of his four Wizards seasons), with career lows of 29 percent shooting from 3 and 59 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Would Washington be willing to sell low now on Kuzma? As one rival executive told The Athletic, the Wizards have been so uncompetitive so far this season that they could retain Kuzma and not worry much about accumulating so many more victories that it would erode their chances to have the best possible lottery odds. Also, because Kuzma has two full seasons remaining on his contract, at reasonable (and, importantly, descending) guaranteed salaries of $21.5 million in 2025-26 and $19.4 million in 2026-27, the Wizards could use their remaining games this season to resuscitate Kuzma’s trade value and then consider moving him this offseason.
Why teams would want him: Kuzma has shown that, at his best, he can be a key role player on a championship team, having helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the 2019-20 NBA title. Kuzma almost certainly would be more efficient playing alongside more veteran players and players who can space the floor better than the Wizards’ current players.
What a deal could look like: Two league sources said the Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks have explored a potential deal in which Milwaukee would send Khris Middleton and draft capital to Washington for Kuzma. This matches what was reported elsewhere Wednesday. Exchanging Middleton’s salary for Kuzma’s would help the Bucks move under the second apron, a significant goal for the Bucks. But Washington would almost certainly demand a future pick or two be attached with Middleton to help Milwaukee achieve that goal. It’s unclear how much traction that scenario has; the Bucks are examining multiple trade scenarios for veteran players to supplement Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Jonas Valančiūnas
Potential fits: Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks.
Why the Wizards would trade him: From the moment the Wizards added Valančiūnas in a sign-and-trade last summer, many rival executives assumed the Wizards signed the 32-year-old center merely to trade him before the end of the 2024-25 season for a pick or picks. At that time, at least several rival executives figured Valančiūnas would be a natural fit with the Lakers playing alongside Anthony Davis. Now that Davis has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers could use more size upfront.
More of a plodder, especially at this point in his career, Valančiūnas doesn’t fit into the Wizards’ desire to play fast on offense.
Washington has 21-year-old center (and former second-round pick) Tristan Vukcevic on the roster on a two-way contract, and Vukcevic could receive Valančiūnas’ minutes going forward if Valančiūnas is dealt. (Bagley is still recovering from a sprained MCL in his right knee.)
Why teams would want him: Valančiūnas remains an efficient low-post scorer, an above-average offensive rebounder and a superb defensive rebounder. He could help just about any team with championship aspirations with his physical low-post play in the halfcourt, and his willingness to use his body to give hard fouls defensively.
What a deal could look like: As our cap expert Danny Leroux noted last week, this season marks the first time a team can use the midlevel exception to trade for a player under contract, rather than only being able to sign free agents in the offseason with the exception. As long as the player’s current salary matches or is lower than the exception maximum, and matches the maximum number of years allowed, he can be traded into any of the non-taxpayer ($12.8 million maximum salary this season), room ($7.9 million) or taxpayer ($5.1 million) midlevel exceptions.
And, as Leroux also noted, Valančiūnas’ three-year, $30.3 million contract, which pays him $9.9 million this season, appears to have been structured so that he could fit into another team’s non-taxpayer exception if Washington desired to move him.
Currently, per Salary Swish, Charlotte, Houston, Sacramento and Toronto all have their full $12.8 million non-taxpayer midlevel exceptions available. Portland has a little more than $11 million of its midlevel available.
If Washington went the conventional, salary-for-salary type of trade, the Wizards could potentially send Valančiūnas, long rumored to be a target of the Lakers, for a non-rotation piece of L.A.’s roster like guard Gabe Vincent, along with a 2025 second-round pick.
In mid-January, The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III concocted a hypothetical deal in which the New York Knicks would send center Mitchell Robinson and two 2026 second-round picks to Washington for Valančiūnas. That would be worth exploring.
Robinson, 26, is a premier shot-blocker and solid rebounder when healthy, but he’s been injured for long stretches in each of the last two seasons and has yet to play a game for New York this season after offseason foot surgery. Valančiūnas has played in every game so far this season for Washington and has appeared in 284 of a possible 295 regular-season games — 96.3 percent — since the start of the 2021-22 season.
Jonas Valančiūnas has been one of Washington’s most productive players on a per-minute basis. (Bruce Kluckhohn / Imagn Images)
Jordan Poole
Potential fits: N/A.
Why the Wizards would trade him: None of the rival teams we spoke with have heard anything about Poole on the trade market. Indeed, after an inefficient first season in Washington, Poole has resurrected his mojo as the team’s full-time starting point guard. He’s averaging 20.3 points per game and career highs in assists (4.8) and 3-point percentage (.391), even though defenses tend to load up on him. The Wizards have been happy with how Poole has played and how he’s bought into the Wizards’ youth movement
Why teams would want him: That’s the thing. Given the much more restrictive CBA, teams are more reluctant these days to bring aboard a player of Poole’s salary unless that player is an All-Star or superstar. Poole is earning $29.7 million this season, followed by guaranteed salaries of $31.8 million in 2025-26 and $34.0 million in 2026-27. So, no team appears to be clamoring to take on Poole’s contract.
What a deal could look like: With the caveat that there is no current market for Poole, let’s do the academic exercise. To offload Poole’s salary through 2027, the Wizards would likely have to attach a future draft pick or pick swap to him in any deal for young players who could fit their rebuilding timeline. For contending teams near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point percentage, and who may be looking for offensive punch, there’s at least a rationale for both adding a pick and for taking a chance on someone like Poole, who’s still just 25, and who would still fit the timeline of most young, emerging teams. But it would make no sense for Washington to give up an asset at this stage of its rebuild just to move on from Poole, who has been diligent at improving his craft since coming to D.C. and is by all accounts internally a very good teammate.
Malcolm Brogdon
Potential fits: Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings.
Why the Wizards would trade him: Brogdon is on an expiring contract worth $22.5 million this season. The 32-year-old guard doesn’t fit into Washington’s long-term trajectory. If things go according to the Wizards’ plan, by the time the Wizards’ young nucleus is ready to start winning, Brogdon will be in his mid-30s.
Why teams would want him: When he plays, Brogdon has shown he can be effective and can score in halfcourt settings — he’s a career 38 percent shooter from deep in 43 career postseason games. The problem is, he has an injury history that is substantial enough that it would invite some risk for a contender.
What a deal could look like: Our Sam Vecenie detailed a three-way mock trade last week between Golden State, Washington and Cleveland in which the Warriors could get under the second apron by dealing Kevon Looney to the Cavaliers, while the Wizards send reserve Anthony Gill to the Warriors and Cleveland sends forward Isaac Okoro to Washington. (In that example, Gill was chosen for his salary this season; keep in mind that Patrick Baldwin Jr. has a salary comparable to Gill’s.) The Wizards would also get second-round picks from both the Cavs and Dubs. A smaller, two-team version between Cleveland and Washington could also send Brogdon to the Cavs for Okoro and veteran forward Georges Niang, giving Cleveland a proven backup point guard to play behind Darius Garland, while giving the Wizards a plus perimeter defender in Okoro, who just turned 24 last month and who could give Coulibally a break from always guarding the opposition’s best perimeter threats every night.
Corey Kispert
Potential fits: Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs.
Why the Wizards would trade him: Any trade involving Kispert seems unlikely. What applied to Deni Avdija during the 2023-24 regular season now applies to Kispert. Because Kispert’s rookie-scale contract extension hasn’t kicked in yet, any trade involving him before July 1 would be subject to the “poison pill” provision. Under the provision, a team that traded for Kispert now would have to count his salary on its books at $11.9 million — the average of his salaries for this season and the four seasons of his extension. The Wizards, though, can count Kispert at only $5.7 million — his actual salary this season — on their cap in an outgoing trade. To put it simply, it would be easier for the Wizards to trade Kispert after July 1.
Why teams would want him: He can shoot, even though he is shooting only 35 percent from 3 this season. The problem is his defense, which could preclude a contending team from giving him extensive minutes in the playoffs.
What a deal could look like: Given the restraints of the poison pill provision, there aren’t many realistic trades for Kispert before the deadline. And, league sources maintain, the Wizards genuinely would like to keep Kispert around throughout the rebuilding process. The Detroit Pistons, who have brought in vets this season to hotwire a quicker rebuild around Cade Cunningham, are the only team in the league with enough cap space — $14 million — to take Kispert in cleanly and send a pick to Washington, if they were so inclined.
(Top photo of Kyle Kuzma: Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images)