NBA Insider David Aldridge stated in his recent blog about the current landscape ahead of NBA trade deadline that it would be unwise for the Washington Wizards to trade All-Star point guard John Wall.
Aldridge believes the Wizards don't really need to push the rebuild button by dealing away their best player in Wall. He added if there's someone currently on the Wiz roster who could be traded, that would be Marcin Gortat.
The 32-year old Gortat is putting up decent numbers for the Wizards this season, averaging 10.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in 35.2 minutes per game. However, Gortat becomes dispensable after the Wizards signed Ian Mahinmi to a four-year, $64MM contract.
Per David Aldridge blog of NBA.com:
"The Wizards gave the 30-year-old Mahinmi starter's money -- more than $16 million a year, which is more than $3 million per year than the 32-year-old Gortat is making.
If Gortat is a little salty about that, and the suspicion is that he is, well, can you exactly blame him? And since no one in Washington believes Gortat and Mahinmi can play together, that means the backup center is going to make more than the starter."
Aldridge thinks the Wizards could use Gortat as trade chip for teams looking for frontcourt stability on their second unit. He mentioned the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics, teams that need to beef up their interior, as potential buyer for Gortat ahead of start of trading season.
"With a contract averaging just more than $13 million through 2019, Gortat would be very affordable for a contending team that could use a productive, two-way big (Boston? Utah?) and which has players and picks it could package. But that's a theoretical, and Washington obviously couldn't pull the trigger on any deal until Mahinmi is back on the floor. But Wall thinks the Polish Hammer still has a lot to give."
