Ian Mahinmi
The Washington Wizards seemingly out of nowhere are playing phenomenal basketball and find themselves in third place in the Eastern Conference. As a result, it’s no secret that they believe that they can make some noise in the playoffs and could look to potentially make a move that would help them be even better prepared to make that push.
One guy who has been mentioned as a potential trade option for them has been center Ian Mahinmi. Mahinmi is one of those under the radar guys who I was actually quite high on during his time as an Indiana Pacer. His stats last season of 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds don’t overwhelm you, but he’s an excellent rim protector, has improved dramatically at catching and finishing in the post and is the kind of guy who gives 110 percent effort all of the time.
Unfortunately, he’s only played four games this season due to lingering knee issues, thus it’s hard to say if the Mahinmi of last year will even be around to close out 2017. If he was healthy, he could be an excellent backup center behind Rudy Gobert to maintain Utah’s rim protection and staunch defense when the reserves are on the floor.
Not to mention, he is a Frenchman himself so it could further bolster the French Connection with Rudy Gobert and Boris Diaw (assuming Diaw wasn’t part of the trade) and lead to even greater Jazz chemistry.
However, the other downside to Mahinmi is that he’s on a pretty hefty contract. In last year’s salary cap rise and ensuing free agent madness, he’s one of those guys who frankly I believe was overpaid as he currently boasts a four-year $64 million deal.
If he was playing at the level that he was last season, it could potentially be argued that his high salary was justified, but given his health issues this year, that most certainly hasn’t been the case. I still like the idea of Mahinmi as a backup on this Jazz team, but I don’t know that it’s exactly a wise move for the time being.
Verdict: Yellow Light