NBA 2018-19: 3 Players the Wizards need to trade away

The Washington Wizards began the season confident that they could challenge in a historically weak Eastern Conference. Despite the pre-season optimism, the team has quickly unravelled both on and off the court and the Wizards currently sit 10th with an 8-14 record.

Due to the lack of competition in the East, the Washington franchise could still make a playoff push in the second half of the season. Nevertheless, to make a late run, the team will need to make a number of personnel changes, so here are three players who could soon be traded.

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#3 John Wall

The Washington Wizards have reportedly already shopped Wall to other NBA teams

John Wall is a regular NBA All-Star, who is also the Wizards best player on the roster. Despite this, the franchise has failed to make a sustained challenge for the NBA Championship with Wall leading the team, and the time has now come for the Wizards to move on.

The Wizards have the opportunity to go all in on Wall's younger teammate Bradley Beal, who last season demonstrated his ability to lead the franchise in the absence of Wall. If the organization can get a mix of draft picks and players in return for Wall, then it is time for the Bradley Beal era in Washington.

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#2 Markieff Morris

Morris is a regular starter for the Wizards

Markieff Morris was this week reported to be the most likely of all of the Washington Wizards to be traded. The 29-year-old has been a reliable performer for the Wizards this season, averaging 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, although it appears that the player doesn't want to stick around in Washington.

Morris becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019, and no progress has been made regarding an extension. If the Wizards chose to move Morris now, there will be interest from playoff-chasing teams, so the team should look to get something in return for the player before he leaves for free in 2019.

#1 Dwight Howard

Howard has played just 9 times for the Wizards

Howard came into the 18/19 NBA season on his fourth team in as many years. The 8-time All-Star has featured in less than half of the Wizards games this season, and he is currently averaging less than 10 rebounds per game for the first time in his career. The former Orlando Magic man is also averaging his lowest number of points since his rookie season as a 19-year-old.

The soon to be 33-year-old is still a reliable NBA centre, although he is clearly not the player that the Wizards need right now. After the failed Beal/Wall experiment, the Washington franchise needs to be looking at younger players, and Howard will be close to retirement by the time the Wizards are in a position to truly compete again. It was a bad fit from the start, and hopefully, a rival team will come in with an offer to take Howard off the Wizards hands.