WASHINGTON — With the NBA trade deadline approaching, the goal of the rebuilding Washington Wizards was to bring in young players with potential and acquire as many future draft picks as possible.
There's certainly still a lot of work to do before the Feb. 8 deadline, but team officials got a head start on Sunday.
The Wizards received center Marvin Bagley III, wing/forward Isaiah Livers, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 second-round pick from the Detroit Pistons for veteran players Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala.
It's a risk-free move for Washington that could bring a modest reward if the team's coaches, development specialists and front office staff can help Bagley and the Livers improve in the months and perhaps years ahead.
Wizards officials view Bagley and the Livers as more important than upcoming second-round picks.
Bagley has not lived up to expectations since the Sacramento Kings drafted him second overall in 2018. The poor performance remains a difficult story for Bagley to overcome, especially since that same draft resulted in Luka Doncic taking third overall, and Jaren Jackson Junior 4th, Trae Young 5th and Shay. Gilgius Alexander XI.
But Bagley will only be 25 in March, and he can score in buckets (usually in the paint) and collect defensive rebounds at an above-average rate early in his career.
Can the Wizards' player development system — which has undergone a major makeover and received more resources under new Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger and new Wizards general manager Will Dawkins — help Bagley make gains? Of course, the responsibility for that falls on Bagley's shoulders as well.
With physicals still being conducted, Bagley and the Livers are not expected to be available to play Monday afternoon when the Wizards host the Pistons.
Bagley is expected to serve as Washington's backup center, joining a second unit that typically includes guard Delon Wright, swing man Corey Kispert and forward Bilal Coulibaly, and also includes starter Deni Avdija in the late first quarter and early second quarter.
Although Bagley is not known as a solid defensive player, he should be a big upgrade on the glass over Muscala and Gallinari, who has been playing out of position at center. At his best, Bagley rated as a slightly above-average shot blocker compared to other NBA players, according to advanced analytics database Cleaning the Glass.
Bagley is under contract through the 2024-25 season, and is scheduled to make $12.5 million.
Livers, 25, is a 6-foot-7 wing/forward who can defend opposing shooting guards, small forwards and some power forwards.
His contract, worth $1.8 million this season, is an expiring contract. But if the Wizards issue a qualifying offer to Liver this offseason, he will become a restricted free agent, which would give them the opportunity to match any contract offer he might receive this summer from another team.
Acquiring Bagley, Livers and a pair of future second-round picks may seem like a disappointing trade package, but the reality is that Gallinari, 35, and Muscala, 32, haven't played well this season and have limited trade value. Additionally, both players are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer and are unlikely to want to re-sign with the rebuilding Wizards.
Gallinari and Mescala arrived in Washington last summer along with Tyus Jones in a three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzinis to Boston. Now, this deal looks more productive from Washington's perspective, because Gallinari and Mescala have been repackaged for Bagley, Livers and a pair of second-round picks.
Gallinari and Mescala were the two oldest players on Washington's roster, and now the Wizards are younger with the addition of Bagley and Livers.
Jones, 27, and Wright, 31, remain valuable on the court — Jones for his overall leadership on the court and shooting, Wright for his devastating perimeter defense — but they are more valuable as veteran presences in a relatively small locker room.
But Jones and Wright are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer. Jones and Wright are completing two-year contracts, and because the Collective Bargaining Agreement prohibits extending contracts covering one or two years, the Wizards cannot offer them extensions.
So, with unrestricted free agency on the horizon, Jones and Wright are potential trade candidates.
The reality is that Sunday's trade will certainly be the start of a busy trade offseason for the Wizards. When a team is in the early stages of a rebuild, wants more draft picks and holds a 7-31 record, it's hard to envision anyone on the current roster — with the possible exception of Koulibaly — being banned.
Related reading
Robbins and Aldridge: A roadmap to rebuilding: How and how quickly can processors improve their deficient roster?
Edwards: The Pistons' trade to the Wizards signals a big change coming this summer in Detroit
(Top photo of Monty Williams, Isaiah Livers and Marvin Bagley III: David Regennick/USA Today)
