It was just over three months ago that Andray Blatche signed a contract extension that should keep him a member of the Washington Wizards for at least three more years. According to today's reports from Michael Lee of the Washington Post, Blatche's tenure in D.C. might not last that long.
According to two Western Conference executives, the Wizards are gauging interest in Andray Blatche to determine if trading the skilled 6-foot-11 forward is best for the organization moving forward. Blatche leads the Wizards in scoring (16.8 points) and is second in rebounding (7.9). The trade deadline is Feb. 24.
Alex Kennedy of Hoops World seems to be hearing the same thing.
After suspending Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee one game for an altercation outside of a club, league sources say that the Washington Wizards will consider trading either Blatche or McGee in the coming weeks. The team will gauge interest around the league and after shopping the players, decide whether or not a trade would be the right move for the franchise.
Blatche was drafted by the Wizards straight out of high school in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft, and is one of the few remaining players from the playoff team of 2008.
The Wizards are clearly rebuilding, with John Wall as the focal point and franchise leader. But one would expect that Blatche, who is only 24-years old, could remain a part of the organization through the rebuild. This isn't an instance of Ted Leonsis cleaning house of contracts that were signed before he took over the team (like Gilbert Arenas). Leonsis was present for Blatche's signing. This appears to just be the Wizards attempting to ship out a player with consistently disappointing character issues.