It is the Wizards’ conundrum — they need to remake their roster and bring in guys with a professional attitude, but they can’t get rid of the guys they have to make room.
For example, Andray Blatche. The talented and wildly inconsistent (which is kind) big man is on the block, but there are no takers, reports Michael Lee at the Washington Post.The Wizards have aggressively tried to deal Blatche in advance of the March 15 trade deadline, according to multiple league sources, but struggled to find any takers. Blatche is certainly open to a change of scenery, according to a person close to him.
The team discussed dealing Blatche to Charlotte last month for Tyrus Thomas but were rejected, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. Blatche is still owed nearly $23 million after this season, and rival teams have expressed concern about his conditioning and character.
Blatche is shooting 38 percent this year and his game overall has regressed as he has been battling an injury to his calf. And that is not what is scaring teams off — it’s an effort and attitude that nobody else wants to bring into their locker room.
The Wizards have had a lot of those guys over the years. There’s a reason Blatche and others before him (Kwame Brown) have been booed by local fans. Passion and effort can make up for a lot in fans minds, not showing those things leads to anger from the fan base.
Don’t expect the Wizards to have much luck finding a trading partner — Blatche has three guaranteed years left on his deal. Unless he shows market improvement on the court, he will be very hard to trade (and if he were to show that improvement would you want to trade him.
