The Wizards are having a fire…sale. Well, maybe. According to reports, they’re at least listening to offers from teams for everyone on the roster. That includes John Wall and Bradley Beal, who were previously thought to be untouchable.
Wall insists he wants to be a Wizard for life and Beal isn’t putting much stock into the rumors, also noting that he’s not angling for a way out of Washington. Still, frustrations have boiled over at times, most notably in a fiery (and not in a good way) practice last week, and you’d be hard-pressed to find too many folks around the league that expect this group to be able to come together and figure things out on their own to right the ship.
Most expect a deal to be made of some kind before the February deadline and, if things stay as they are, likely sooner. Beal is certainly the most appealing player for other teams given his contract situation and quality of play, but that also makes him the player Washington is likely wanting to trade the least.
Still, teams are calling and at least gauging the market, and that includes divisional foe Charlotte. The Hornets have reportedly called the Wizards about Beal, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, as they look to capitalize on Kemba Walker’s unfathomably hot start in hopes of keeping him around long-term with more help than he has now.
Spencer Percy of Queen City Hoops also reported he’s heard the Hornets are looking to create a package around Marvin Williams or Nicolas Batum as salary filler, with draft picks and other pieces to sweeten the pot.
Source: #Hornets are active in engaging Washington on trade talks for Bradley Beal. Marvin Williams or Nic Batum have been discussed as salary filler + Charlotte management is willing to include w/ draft pick. Serious sense of urgency to improve roster now around Kemba. #BuzzCity
— Spencer Percy (@QCHspencer) November 20, 2018
Batum’s salary matches almost perfectly with Beal’s, which would mean they could throw in Malik Monk and a first-round pick to try and give Washington young value. However, Batum’s deal is for two more years and isn’t exactly a great contract considering his production, and the Wizards already have plenty of those. Williams is a solid role player on a more palatable deal, and if you couple his contract with Jeremy Lamb the money works — and you can still add Monk and a pick to sweeten the pot.
Who knows if that’s enough to entice the Wizards to part ways with Beal, but it indicates the Hornets want to be players on the trade market leading up to the deadline to improve their roster around Walker.
