A Closer Look at the Washington Wizards’ Recent Struggles by Matt Graber

The Washington Wizards have lost five games in a row and their need to sign a backup guard is evident.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, the Wizards are interested in Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kevin Martin:

Player to keep an eye on before the trade deadline: Minnesota’s Kevin Martin. Martin is owed $14 million over the next two seasons but could be a valuable asset to a team looking for scoring punch off the bench. Dallas, Washington among the possibilities

Kevin Martin, who turned 32-years-old earlier this month, has two years left on his contract. He’s averaging nearly 21 points for the Timberwolves on nearly 44 percent shooting from three.

Washington, as Mannix pointed out, needs to find scoring off the bench.

Bradley Beal has been dealing with a toe injury, and if he does miss time, Washington has to find a way to replace his scoring.

Rasual Butler has given the Wizards a scoring punch off the bench, but his minutes have been erratic and he hasn’t consistently produced.

Kevin Martin has bounced around the league a bit these past few seasons, with stints on the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Now that the Wolves have entered a rebuilding stage, they could potentially part ways with both Martin and Thaddeus Young.

Since they are rebuilding and given Flip Saunders’ reluctance to part ways with veterans without getting picks or young players back, the Wizards would probably have to trade their draft pick to get Kevin Martin back.

After playing with the NBA Trade Machine for about five seconds, the Wizards could include Martell Webster in the deal along with a protected first round pick.

Teams talk all the time throughout the season, but I don’t think Kevin Martin will land in Washington.

The Wizards are still waiting to see what Ray Allen will do after the NBA All-Star break and cheaper guards will become available after the trade deadline.

Once the trade deadline is over, teams typically negotiate buyouts with players they failed to find new homes for. Players like Jose Calderon, Pablo Prigioni, and Tayshaun Prince are expected to be available after buyouts.

Even if it’s not Kevin Martin, and I don’t think it will be, the Washington Wizards still need to find a way to upgrade their bench. After five straight losses, I’m sure their patience is wearing thin.