The Problem

The Washington Wizards don’t have a well constructed roster as it stands. Dwight Howard being out for the foreseeable future only worsens the issue. Whether or not you think the Wizards should trade John Wall (I don’t), he’s not going to go anywhere this year because of his trade kicker. The Wizards also have no reason to deal Bradley Beal because it will be hard to get equal value for a young star on a long deal. That leaves the rest of the roster available to us for deals that can help Washington build a better 9-10 man rotation for this year and the next.

Trade #1 – Otto Porter takes on Sacramento

Wizards Receive – Willie Cauley-Stein, Iman Shumpert, Kosta Koufos

Wizards Send – Otto Porter

This trade does a few things for Washington. It lets the Wiz dodge the cap hell that inevitably occurs when you have three max contracts on the books. They can take a flyer on Willie Cauley-Stein who’s been playing well to start his contract year. The Wizards won’t get bird rights on Shumpert or Koufos but they’re two vets who can round out the bench. Shumpert has been playing at a rejuvenated level as of late and could be a part of some great three-guard lineups. Freeing up the wing rotation will let Washington find more minutes for Sato and Troy Brown as well.

Sacramento’s roster has a lot of guards. And a lot of big men. Justin Jackson is probably their only real small forward. Trading for Otto allows them to open up minutes for Marvin Bagley and Harry Giles while giving De’Aaron Fox a valuable floor spacer and target to find. This trade balances out their roster and puts them into a position to have a dangerous young core in the future.

Trade #2 – Markieff and Markelle go home

Wizards Receive – Markelle Fultz

Wizards Send – Markieff Morris

Markieff Morris is going to be a free agent next year. The Wizards have his bird rights but it’s not certain they’ll be able to pay him what he wants. Markelle Fultz is DMV native who is still brimming with talent despite his shooting woes. His athleticism and point guard skills made him the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple double. It’s a low risk move that could potentially pay off in a large way for the Wiz.

The Sixers desperately need a real power forward on their roster and Markieff Morris’ grit and three point shooting ability would fit in perfect. They’ll have the option to retain him should he prove valuable in their playoff battles.

Trade #3 – The end of the Austin Rivers era

Wizards Receive – Jeremy Lin

Wizards Send – Austin Rivers

There’s a simple rationale for this trade. Austin Rivers is playing badly and Jeremy Lin is playing well. The Hawks want to lose and play Trae Young as much as possible while the Wizards want to win games. The contracts are nearly identical and both players should help their new team move in the direction they want.

The New Rotation

Starting Five – Wall, Beal, Oubre Jr, Green, Cauley-Stein

Bench Wings – Sato, Lin, Brown Jr, Fultz

Bench Bigs – Robinson, Koufos, Bryant, Mahinmi, Smith

The Wizards end up with an incredibly athletic starting five that could be dangerous defensively and in transition. Their bench becomes younger and provides the Wizards a chance to improve internally by developing their younger guys on cheap contracts.