When news broke shortly before the 2024 NBA Draft that the Washington Wizards had traded away Deni Avdija for a quartet of draft picks, including the one eventually used to select Bub Carrington 14th overall, it felt like a massive steal.
Now granted, it was no secret that the Wizards were looking to radically reshape their roster heading into free agency, with the club's selection of quality older players doing little to help their abysmal record in 2023-24, but after spending the better part of a year watching fans assume that Kyle Kuzma was the most valuable trade chip on the roster, seeing Avdija go from two firsts and two seconds – a price seemingly higher than Kuzma's asking price – effectively opened the doors for what Will Dawkins and company could do with the assets on their roster.
The Wizards were open for business.
With cap space to spend and a clear understanding that signing and/or trading for a “star” player wasn't going to instantly turn a 15-win team into a contender, the Wizards signed a pair of relatively interesting free agents, ex-Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas, and former Atlanta Hawks swing forward Saddiq Bey, to relatively value-conscious contracts, with the former earning a three for $30 million deal while the latter got three years for $20 million as he rehabs from a March 11th ACL injury.
Will these players help the Wizards out in 2024? Sure, Valanciunas will almost certainly start for the team at center from opening night on to help rookie second-overall pick Alexandre Sarr transition from the NBL to the NBA and when he's finally healthy enough to play, which could happen in October, January, or maybe not next season at all, Bey will be a quality addition to the team as a versatile wing who can play multiple positions either in the starting lineup or coming off the bench, depending on who is still on the team at the time.
And yet, Valanciunas and Bey also provide incredible value as secondary trade chips, as they can both be moved fairly easily to a team in need of talent.
Call it the logical extension of the Bruce Brown-Pacers contract, but considering both Valanciunas and Bey have contract values per year well below the full $12.8 million mid-level exception, and as a result, darn near every team in the NBA, even teams over the second apron have at least one contract that can be one-for-one traded for either one of their contracts individually.
If the Wizards can leave the 2023-24 season with at least one more first round pick – or comparable value – for one of those players, well, they will not only be better off for it long-term but can also do it all again next summer in free agency once more.
Will it work? Will the Wizards be able to slowly build up their talent pool while also giving their young building blocks veterans from which they can build around into the future? Only time will tell, but after cashing in big on Avdija, that appears to be the plan moving forward.
Tyus Jones can fit into the Wizards' strategy too
With just $160 million in contracts on the books, according to HoopsHype, the Wizards are roughly $10 million under the salary cap, with another eight million to go under the first apron and $18 million under the second apron. While that doesn't seem like a lot, considering how brutal the free agent market has been for anyone not named Paul George – or someone signed by the Wizards – there's a chance the team could use their remaining money to bring back 2023-24 starting point guard Tyus Jones on a new contract.
Initially acquired from Memphis via trade, the Wizards do own Jones' Bird rights, and as a result, they can theoretically re-sign him for whatever figure both sides believe makes the most sense, be that an earnings-maximizing deal in line with his 2023-24 cap hit of $20 million, or something a bit more team-friendly that allows the two sides to approach trade negotiations in 2025 in the lead-up to the playoffs, should Washington remain bad.
While the Wizards do have some talent at the point guard spot, with Malcolm Brogdon able to hold down the lead guard spot after being acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers, he too could be on the move in the not-too-distant future should some contending team come calling. If optionality and asset acquisition are the keys to the Wizards' success in 2024-25, then letting a player like Jones walk for nothing feels somewhat antithetical to that goal, especially if they could snag a young point guard prospect in a deal that ships him out of town.
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