Marcin Gortat and Nene (Photo : Getty Images)
The Washington Wizards are struggling to find their winning ways, and rumors are swirling that the team needs to trade their big men to stay in the playoff hunt.
With a 6-8 record on a four-game losing streak, the Wizards are continuously piling up losses and frustration is mounting within the team.
Marcin Gortat was one of the Wizards players who are not happy with the way things are going in Washington.
In an interview with the Washington Post's Jorge Castillo, Gortat confessed that he did not like head coach Randy Wittman calling him out following a loss against the Orlando Magic.
J. Michael of CSN also tweeted that Gortat claimed there is "negativity from everyone" and it is making players unhappy coming to the arena and play basketball.
The struggles of the Wizards are clearly evident as they seem to be have a tough time playing on the road against a surprisingly tougher Eastern Conference teams, and their shooting percentage has gone down to 42.9 and 35.0 from downtown.
According to Tim Penman of Bleacher Report, the Wizards' "talent is there, and they may just need time to get it together. If they can't, they could improve by looking to trade for a shooter and bench help."
However, the Wizards already have a string of shooters in Bradley Beal, Jared Dudley, and Ramon Sessions, which invalidates the statement that they need to trade for a shooter.
If the Wizards want to stay in playoff contention, they should try to trade for a big man. Bill Simmons of the Bill Simmons Podcast proposed a trade scenario for the Wizards dealing Gortat, Nene's expiring contract and a 2016 first round draft pick for Rockets' superstar center Dwight Howard.
While this is just a fake trade as noted by Simmons, it actually makes sense for both teams.
The Rockets (7-11 record) are also struggling to win games and their inconsistency has put them outside the top eight teams in the Western Conference.
If things continue to go haywire in Houston, Howard has the chance to decline his player option next year. Trading him now would give the Rockets something in return instead of letting him walk away next year when the NBA's new TV deal kicks in.
Gortat, on the other hand, is in the second year of his five-year $60 million contract, which could be very hard to move. But Nene's expiring contract and a first round draft pick next year would be enticing enough for the Rockets to deal Howard.
Gortat and Nene would give the Rockets solid players at the five position, while Howard could be the big man John Wall is needing to play with effectively.
The Wizards and the Rockets may just need time to get their team play well together. But if both teams, who are playoff contenders last year, continue their slump, a trade like this could go down soon.
