The Washington Wizards have already been active this offseason, but there may still be more roster movement coming. With a roster spot still open and a few young players who might not have a clear path to minutes, the front office could eventually look at flipping some of those contracts for older help or future draft capital.
The easiest deals to make start with Bub Carrington. He may not be the first name that comes up in trade chatter, but his contract is the kind teams can move without much trouble.
Carrington is a young guard with a strong three-point shot, and that alone gives him appeal for rebuilding teams willing to take a swing. He still needs work in other areas, but a change of scenery could help.
That said, this does not mean he is the most likely player to be moved, or that he is even being considered. It only means his deal is one of the simplest on the roster to trade.
Carrington has also had the toughest time stacking up against the other players from his draft class on the Wizards. Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George have already established themselves as some of the team’s best options, while Carrington is still battling for rotation minutes. His salary, which is less than five million this season, only adds to how movable he is.
Justin Champagnie fits a similar category, though for different reasons. He also is not being singled out as a player who should be traded, and there is no indication he is being shopped.
But if another team wanted him, Washington could move him fairly easily. Champagnie has been one of the Wizards’ biggest success stories, which is part of why his price could be steep.
At the same time, the roster is crowded, and he could end up being outperformed this season.
His contract helps explain why he is so tradeable. Champagnie is making just over two and a half million this season, and the deal includes a team option next season. If his play slips or another player passes him on the depth chart, that kind of contract becomes easy to move.
Of the names mentioned, Cam Whitmore stands out as the most likely to be traded. A deal feels more probable for him than for the others, and it does not appear to have anything to do with his performance. He is not expected to be extended besides Bilal Coulibaly, which makes a trade seem almost unavoidable.
Whitmore missed last season because of a blood clot, and the timing could not have been worse. Before that, he had been showing signs of progress on defense and looking very good.
Now, with AJ Dybantsa and some other forwards in the mix, Whitmore may have simply lost his place in Washington through no fault of his own. In the end, the combination of his situation and his contract makes him the most likely trade candidate on the Wizards roster.
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