Washington Wizards Should Strongly Consider Trading Martell Webster

 

The Washington Wizards had a rather busy offseason. There was plenty of player movement as they look to continue their improvement and live up to heightened expectations. One of the positions that saw an overhaul was the small forward position, where the Wizards said goodbye to Trevor Ariza and welcomed veteran Paul Pierce.

They also have last season’s first-round pick Otto Porter waiting in the wings as well. This makes Martell Webster a player that is expendable, and he should be strongly considered as a trade candidate by the Wizards.

Webster is currently sidelined because of surgery to repair a herniated disk that he underwent in July. The timetable for recovery was 3-5 months, which means Webster could be out until the calendar flips to 2015. But once he returns, he could be asset to a team off the bench.

Webster’s strength is his three-point shooting, something teams can never have enough of. For his career, Webster is a 38.5 percent 3-point shooter, knocking down 42.2 and 39.2 percent in 2012-13 and 2013-14. He can also play multiple positions as he is a natural fit at shooting guard or small forward, and can play power forward in a pinch if a head coach decides to go with a small ball lineup.

For the Wizards though, Webster may not have a place any longer. He signed a contract extension with the team in the summer of 2013, but he has become expendable for the team.

Garrett Temple, who has replaced the injured Bradley Beal, is playing well enough to earn minutes as a combo guard off the bench, taking away some shooting guard minutes that would normally go to Webster. The Wizards also have another veteran, Rasual Butler, who can step into the lineup and provide some perimeter scoring in a pinch.

The emergence of Porter as well will cut into Webster’s playing time, and the Wizards have another youngster Glen Rice Jr., who is essentially the same type of player Webster is: a SG/SF wing player who can knock down the perimeter jumper.

While Webster has shown that he is a capable contributor for a playoff team, the Wizards may be best off moving him in a trade. Getting back another big man to back up Marcin Gortat and the injury-prone Nene who can stretch the floor may be more beneficial than another perimeter-oriented wing player.

A team that has aspirations of contending as the Wizards do cannot afford to have too many players that do the same thing, and getting some more versatility on the roster may be worthwhile.

Kenneth Teape is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @teapester725 or join his Google network