After years of mediocrity, the Washington Wizards could be in complete liquidation mode.
They agreed to trade Bradley Beal, their MVP, to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, and have already shipped Rui Hachimura, one of their most skilled players, to the Los Angeles Lakers in late January.
In big guy Kristaps Porzingis, they currently have another very skilled player who could become a free agent this summer if he turns down his player option for next season.
But if he chose to, he might end up with wizards trading him and looking for something in return.
NBA reporter Evan Sediri outlined how interesting and perhaps underrated Porzingis’ talent is.
Assuming Kristaps Porzingis quickly picked up $36 million with the Wizards, the 7’3″ could be a major piece to add to the contender’s cross-trade.
Last season, Porzingis quietly put together his best season ever while playing in 65 games:
23.2 points (career high)
8.4 … pic.twitter.com/pKGrOTythI– Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 19, 2023
The 7-foot-3 big guy is originally from Latvia, and as a result, many were skeptical about his prospects when he was available in the 2015 NBA Draft.
But Phil Jackson, who was then the CEO of the New York Knicks, thought enough of him to take him with the No. 4 pick.
Turns out Porzingis was as good as his faithful thought he could be, averaging 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds a game as a junior, then increasing his tally to 22.7 points a game two years later.
This season, he achieved career highs in scoring (23.2 points per contest) and shooting efficiency (49.8 percent).
A knock on Porzingis has always been his durability – he’s appeared in at least 70 games once, and has had a number of serious injuries over the years.
But when he’s healthy, he can be a big piece in a championship puzzle for a number of teams.
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