Wizards Wing Likely Gone Following Recent Trade

Key front office figures are constantly coming and going in the NBA, but one generalization remains true: these executives are always more loyal to the players they had a direct hand in bringing aboard, occasionally leaving incumbent pieces to feel like they're chopped liver.

Washington Wizards fans were introduced to this fact immediately upon familiarizing themselves with new general manager Will Dawkins. He couldn't have shipped Bradley Beal and his onerous contract out any faster, but the Wizards didn't experience their first shocking trade until a year later, when they suddenly sent Deni Avdija packing to Portland on draft day in 2024.

The move symbolized that the team's timeline had shifted away from the early-2020s prospects that the old regime drafted in attempting to surround Beal and co. with enough talent to contend for the playoffs, and though Avdija remains an impressive talent, Washington showed that it preferred the assets they could recoup from the Trail Blazers to further fuel the rebuild.

Kispert, drafted a year after Avdija in 2021, saw eyes quickly turn his way. He's still in his mid-20s, but distinctly separate from the kind of long, athletic, defensively-tilted prospect that the Wizards have started to lean in favor of. Speculation about his future bounced around last season, but Saturday's trade that saw Washington land Cam Whitmore in exchange for two second-round picks looked to have sealed Kispert's fate.

The team only has room for so many wings, and they're clearly prioritizing the raw players who're still looking to find their footing in the NBA. Whitmore will be the ninth former first-round pick from the last three drafts on this roster, as he'll look to finally earn minutes as the athletic slasher he's already shown glimpses of.

Kispert isn't nearly as much of a mystery box. He's a talented shooter with good touch around the rim and a strong cut game, but the guard room is starting to loo cramped. Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson will get big minutes as the recently-drafted potential back court of the future; CJ McCollum, Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton will all look to bolster their trade value on expiring contracts, and unproven prospects like Whitmore, AJ Johnson and Jamir Watkins probably plan on fighting to make sure they get their chances.

Kispert has attracted trade attention in the past, and now looks like as good a time as any to capitalize on any league-wide interest and recoup value on their young shooter.