After starting the year 3-12 and in last place in the NBA, the Washington Wizards have turned things around completely and currently find themselves 13-19, fighting to be in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. There is still a lot of basketball left to be played this season, but this is quite a remarkable turnaround for what was one of the worst teams in the league.
Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal are carrying this team right now and they have won 7 of their last 9 games. With Beal leading the league in scoring and Westbrook nearly averaging a triple-double for the season, the Wizards have a legit shot to turn things around and potentially make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
While they have turned things around and have been playing great basketball, it does not hide the fact that this team still is one of the worst roster wise in the league. Beal and Westbrook account for close to 50% of this team’s scoring every game and if Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura are also included in this grouping, then all four of these guys account for almost 70% of their total scoring per night!
If this team is going to have a chance to make the playoffs this season and potentially grow as a young team moving forward, then it may be worthwhile for them to trade away some of their current assets for players who can help them in the future.
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With Thomas Bryant being out for the year with a torn ACL, Rui Hachimura, Robin Lopez, Alex Len and Moritz Wagner have filled out a lot of the minutes in the frontcourt. Wagner has received a lot more minutes this year and as a result, he is a young talent that many teams around the league, including the Los Angeles Lakers, could be interested in trading for ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Wagner played with the Lakers during the 2018-19 season before being sent to Washington in the deal that paired Anthony Davis with LeBron James. Now, the Lakers have been searching for another reliable frontcourt option they can add, which is why Moritz Wagner could be a player they look to bring back.
So who could the Lakers give up to re-acquire the 23-year old big man? Let’s take a look at what this trade between the Wizards and Lakers could potentially look like.
