Wizards’ Khris Middleton viewed as trade or buyout candidate

The Wizards will keep their eyes open for another buy-low swing like the one they took on Trae Young, but league sources tell The Athletic’s Josh Robbins that is not the most likely way they operate at the trade deadline.

Instead, expect Washington to lean into its flexibility.

The Wizards are sitting roughly $30 million below the luxury tax line, and rival executives tell Robbins that makes them a natural dumping ground for unwanted contracts. The idea is simple. Take on multiyear money if it comes with draft capital or young players attached.

Two examples frequently mentioned around the league are Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley and Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant. Quickley carries a $32.5 million cap hit this season and has three years left on his deal. Grant is at $32 million and has two years remaining, including a player option.

That said, Robbins reports there is little appetite in Toronto or Portland to attach draft assets simply to unload those contracts. Both teams view those salaries as tools to improve their rosters rather than escape hatches for cap relief.

“I think any smart front office would first obviously use those salaries to get better,” one rival team official told The Athletic.

That dynamic matters when it comes to Khris Middleton, whose $33 million expiring deal has made him a frequent name in deadline speculation. Most league sources believe the cleanest outcome is also the most boring one — Middleton stays in Washington through the deadline and then becomes a buyout candidate later in the season.

That would fit the Wizards’ current lane. Accumulate assets. Preserve flexibility. And stay patient while other teams feel the pressure to act.