Trade rumors are hard for any professional athlete. There’s only so much control you have over your collective situation, and often when a team is struggling those rumors swirl and only make things worse. That’s happening to the Washington Wizards right now, and it has to be difficult for the people around the franchise right now.
The way we talk about trades is a bit dehumanizing, too. Players are assets, sometimes their contracts matter more than what they can actually do on the floor, and being valued in such terms can wear on you. But despite all that, Washington’s Kelly Oubre Jr. seems to be taking the current turmoil in Washington pretty well.
On Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Washington was willing to trade two guards once thought to be untouchable. John Wall is the cornerstone of the franchise that was a game away from the Eastern Conference Finals two seasons ago, and Bradley Beal is another young star loaded with potential. But according to Wojnarowski, the Wizards were willing to field offers from teams that wanted their services in a bid to shake things up on a team that’s struggling mightily.
After the report dropped, Oubre was asked about the rumors and was not aware of the report. So when reporters told him what Wojnarowski reported, he had to give some props to the ESPN reporter for the scoop.
Oubre said he hadn’t heard the trade report from @wojespn. When informed of it, he said: “Shoutout Woj.”
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) November 19, 2018
It’s a moment of levity in what’s already been a slog of a season for the Wizards, and it’s funny that Oubre Jr. would take the time to credit a reporter for getting the inside scoop. Oubre Jr. may be disappointed to learn, however, that the report described him as having little value on the trade market. But, hey, these reports are part of sports now. It seems like Oubre is used to it and also want to give credit to good reporting, no matter what that report says.
