Could a trade for Sabonis make sense for the Wizards?
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported in early-December that the Indiana Pacers were heading towards a rebuild and while they have not made any moves to signal this yet, it was mentioned that Myles Turner, Caris LeVert and Domantas Sabonis are three players the Pacers will listen to trade offers for.
It is definitely safe to assume that if the Pacers do look to rebuild, they will look to Turner and LeVert first, but Domantas Sabonis is clearly the player with the most trade value on their roster. He is only 25-years-old, turning 26 in May, and he has made the All-Star game in back-to-back seasons.
Defensively, Sabonis can be a liability at times and while he does struggle playing the center position compared to that of the power-forward position, he does a lot of things that can help this team move forward.
Domantas Sabonis is one of the best rebounding frontcourt players in the league, averaging about 12.0 rebounds per game this season and he has shown signs of being able to extend his game on the perimeter, shooting 30.3% from deep this season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Rebuilding Teams Could Eye Domantas Sabonis Trade
His 3.3 offensive rebounds per game rank tied for 7th in the league and because of how good of an offensive-rebounder Sabonis is, the Indiana Pacers currently rank 7th in the league in second-chance points.
Given how talented the Eastern Conference is this season, it is going to be very tough for the Washington Wizards to make it out of the first-round of the playoffs this season, that is assuming they either avoid the play-in tournament or win their way to the 7 or 8-seed.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Rebuilding Teams Could Eye Domantas Sabonis Trade
They know what to expect from Bradley Beal, but Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Daniel Gafford and Spencer Dinwiddie are all question marks on the offensive-end of the floor.
Maybe these four players will combine to score 50 to 60 points in a playoff game with Beal going for 20 to 25 points, but that is still not enough to overcome other teams like the Nets, Heat, Bucks and Bulls given their scoring talents.
Adding Domantas Sabonis to this roster not only gives them another All-Star to lean on for scoring, but someone that can help make Daniel Gafford’s and Montrezl Harrell’s lives easier given his rebounding abilities.
