Should the Wizards be the 4th or 5th team and facilitator in a potential Jimmy Butler trade? Absolutely, without a doubt. The Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins has made it known that he wants to add more draft capital at the Trade Deadline and Kyle Kuzma’s dip in production could hinder that. Let’s talk about taking on a bad contract, a tactic that the Thunder employs and also happens to be Will Dawkins’s previous employer. One player I’m looking at is Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Khris Middleton has been a mainstay in Milwaukee but is clearly on the decline. The Bucks are looking to add another high-level player to help with the playoff push so it would make sense to move him. Enter the Wizards. The Bucks, Bulls, Heat, and Suns are in the mix for the Jimmy Butler trade. Beal to the Bulls makes sense due to his connection to his former coach, Billy Donovan. Lavine could be a good compliment to Dame and Giannis. Middleton would be a great move for the Wizards and could be the best way to get a 1st round pick. Now the best pick that the Bucks could provide is their 2031 1st round pick which may be of slight use to the Wizards. Sometimes the late picks are the best picks for making the big push trades like Donovan Mitchell for the Cavs for example.
His contract would be perfect for the Wizards because while he makes $31.6 Million this year, he has a player option for next year for $34 million. Next year would be the third year of Washington’s rebuild and a year before many people expect them to be a playoff/play-in candidate. Middleton’s contract won’t tie them down long-term and he could be a great veteran presence in the locker room. Will the Wizards target Middleton? They should. Other bad contracts such as John Collins makes sense but one thing is for sure, Will Dawkins is about to cook.
