The Washington Wizards may not be a potential suitor for guard D’Angelo Russell in a trade this offseason.
According to Lakers Daily’s Anthony Irwin, Washington is “wary” of pairing Russell with guard Jordan Poole, who is coming off a rough 2023-24 season after being acquired in a trade with the Golden State Warriors.
“Portland has no interest in Russell, according to sources close to that situation,” Irwin wrote. “League sources also say Washington is wary of pairing Russell with fellow space cadet Jordan Poole. Toronto and Brooklyn are more open to acquiring the nine-year veteran, but more for his expiring contract than for what he’d do on the court.”
While Russell had a solid season in the 2023-24 campaign, it appears that the Wizards aren’t a huge fan of the fit between Russell and Poole. Neither player is known as a defensive specialist, so pairing the players in the backcourt could make it tough on Washington against teams with elite offensive guards.
Last season, Poole saw his scoring numbers drop from the previous two campaigns, averaging just 17.4 points per game while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and just 32.6 percent from beyond the arc.
He posted minus-0.6 win shares in the 2023-24 season and averaged 2.4 turnovers to just 4.4 assists per game.
There is still some upside with Poole (he is just 25 years old), as he’s shown during his time in Golden State that he can be a proven scoring option on a championship team. Poole helped Stephen Curry lead the Warriors to a title in the 2021-22 season.
While Russell is entering the final season of his contract, the Wizards are in rebuild mode, so it may not make sense to take on his deal for one season unless the franchise intends to keep him for the long haul.
If the Wizards are worried about the fit of Russell and Poole, it makes more sense to build around Poole since he is under contract for longer and is a few years younger.
During the 2023-24 season, Russell averaged 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3-point range.
It was a strong regular season for the Lakers guard, but he did have some down games in the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, shooting 6-for-20 from the field in Game 1 of the first round and 0-for-7 from the field in Game 3.
The Lakers ended up losing the series against Denver in five games, failing to make the second round of the playoffs for the third time in four seasons since winning the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 campaign.
If the Lakers end up moving Russell in a trade this offseason – or during the 2024-25 season – it’ll be interesting to see if they get much in return for the former lottery pick. Russell is set to become a free agent following the 2024-25 season.
