Like a lot of teams, the Washington Wizards are staying active ahead of this season's trade deadline. Who the team might be interested in dealing is still up for debate, but owner Ted Leonsis says John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. are off limits.
On possibility of dealing Wall, Beal, Porter before NBA Trade Deadline: "We're not trading any of those players"
— Noah Frank (@NoahAFrank) January 31, 2019
Wall, now 28 years of age, is currently sidelined due to a left heel injury. The former Kentucky Wildcat is scheduled for surgery next week, as he was diagnosed with a chronic Achilles tendon injury.
Wall, who is expected to miss six to eight weeks due to his ailment, is recognized as one of the best point guards in today's NBA, which is likely the reason Leonsis would like to keep him in a Wizards uniform.
In his 32 appearances with Washington this season (all starts), Wall has racked up averages of 20.7 points on 40.4 percent shooting from the field (30.2 percent from beyond the arc), 8.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals and just under one block (0.9) in 34.5 minutes per outing.
Beal, 25, is one of the NBA's best shooting guards. If he were to be made available, there would likely be several teams interested in his services. However, is Leonsis has his way, Beal won't be going anywhere.
Beal led the Wizards to a 107-89 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, scoring 25 points, six assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes of playing time. Though he was Washington's leading scorer, Beal deflected credit to Washington's bench.
“In order to make the playoffs, be in the playoffs, succeed in the playoffs, you've got to have a good bench,” Beal told ESPN. “They did an excellent job the last two nights of carrying us, pretty much.”
Porter Jr. is a solid player in his own right. He's averaging 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds this season. However, the 25-year-old forward suffered a sprained left big toe in the third quarter of Wednesday's game and did not return to play.
“Hopefully it's only a day,” Wizards head coach Scott Brooks told ESPN. “We've got a couple days off before our next game so hopefully he responds well the next couple days of treatment.”
The Wizards (22-29 and 3rd in the Southeast Division standings) are currently in contention for a spot in this season's playoffs, but they'll likely need all three of these players to make a deep run.
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