Making the Case: Washington Wizards

Early in the offseason, there is naturally going to be optimism and high standards for what teams plan to do in order to address a position of need.

Plans not panning out is a constant for NBA front offices. As a result, contingencies and lowered expectations are a must at times.

The Wizards have been linked as being among the many teams interested in trading up to gain positioning in the 2022 NBA Draft to select Jaden Ivey. They’ve been very loosely linked to Jalen Brunson. Even Malcolm Brogdon has been floated as a name to consider.

It’ll be very challenging for the Wizards to pull off the Ivey trade-up and Brunson is unlikely to consider the Wizards in free agency. In other words, it could soon be #BackupPlansSZN.

LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Washington Wizards Stance On Minnesota Timberwolves’ D’Angelo Russell Trade

D’Angelo Russell would bring a solid scoring and playmaking boost alongside Bradley Beal in the backcourt. He’s going to be on an expiring deal, so the commitment required wouldn’t be extensive, unlike the three-year deal they had to hand out to Spencer Dinwiddie last summer.