The Washington Wizards received some devastating news earlier this week when it was announced that Bradley Beal would miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NBA season as he will undergo season-ending surgery. Beal has a torn ligament in his left wrist that requires the operation to be done.
Without Beal in the fold, it will be difficult for the Wizards to climb back into things in the Eastern Conference playoff race. While the future of the franchise hangs in the balance, as the team could see Beal leave in free agency, they are looking like sellers ahead of the deadline.
The first move that the Wizards made today was trading away backup center Montrezl Harrell. Harrell will be heading to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Vernon Carey Jr. and Ish Smith.
Harrell landing with the Hornets has been a long time in the making. They reportedly offered him about $80 million when he hit free agency in 2020 following his Sixth Man of the Year award-winning season. But, he turned down that deal to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers for significantly less money.
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Now, he is finally heading to Charlotte, as the Hornets were dead set on adding some help in the middle ahead of the deadline. While Harrell won’t help their defense much, he fits in perfectly with their high-flying offense led by LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges.
He should step right into the rotation and receive significant minutes right off the bat. It would not be a surprise if he overtook Mason Plumlee for the starting job eventually down the road as he was having a very good season with the Wizards.
This will be Smith’s second go-round with the Washington Wizards, as he spent the last two seasons in Washington. He was a good backup point guard for them and with the team looking to move on from Spencer Dinwiddie, could have a role right off the bat.
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Carey was a second-round pick in 2020 but has rarely played. He has appeared in only four games thus far this season and was likely included to help match salary, but could find his way into the Washington rotation to help replace Harrell’s minutes.
