The Wizards had a disappointing 2017-18 NBA season. They finished as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and got bounced by the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. This was a team that was supposed to make a jump and at least compete with the top teams in the East. Instead, they couldn't get out of their own way.

The Wizards are a team in need of a shake-up. The duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal is fine, but it's proven to not be good enough to reach the expectations in D.C. In a big free agency period, that features names like LeBron James and Paul George, Washington has a chance to make a splash. Which might be why, according to Ben Standig of the Sports Capitol, the Wizards are willing to trade down in Thursday's 2018 NBA Draft.

The Wizards are open to trading down from the 15th overall pick in Thursday's draft if another team takes on one of Washington's expiring contracts.

That's the message relayed from the Wizards to other NBA teams, a league source tells The Sports Capitol.

The Wizards, as reported, want to attach an expiring contract with their draft pick. It's impossible to predict what their exact plans are, but it sounds like Washington wants to clear out their roster a bit and create some cap space. This will give them the opportunity to explore free agency and find better pieces to play alongside Wall and Beal.

If the Wizards are going to pull off a deal like this, it will likely be for one of their veterans -- perhaps Markieff Morris or Marcin Gortat. Gortat, in particular, is a player that seems to have fallen out of favor with the Wizards. He was reportedly made available during the NBA trade deadline, and Wall indicated at the end of the season an upgrade from Gortat was necessary.

It's not often that a team is willing to punt on a young asset for the sake of just dumping off a contract, but the Wizards are in a tough spot. They don't want to continue being just a playoff team with a second-round ceiling, and that means taking big swings in free agency. It also means punting on the draft a couple times for players who are ready to help them win now.