Otto Porter Jr. trade rumors: Kings may have interest, but Wizards have no plans to deal him away
Washington has gone through its fair share of turmoil so far this season
The Washington Wizards have had their fair share of issues so far this season, both on and off the court.
With turmoil running rampant last month, there were reports that the Wizards would be willing to trade either John Wall or Bradley Beal. However, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, the Wizards don't have any plans to trade forward Otto Porter Jr. despite the team's struggles.
The rumor had tied him to the Sacramento Kings. It was reported by the Athletic and confirmed by NBC Bay Area.
Though the Kings may have interest in Porter, the Wizards maintain their stance that they are not looking to trade him, according to a person familiar with the situation. That means no plans to ship him to Sacramento or anywhere else.
Jason Jones of The Athletic reported on Friday that that the Sacramento Kings were "closely monitoring" Washington's situation.
Porter, who's averaging 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc, has been a full-time starter since the 2015-16 season and has averaged double figures in each of those three seasons.
The Wizards have invested quite a bit in Porter over the years. Porter was originally the third overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and signed a four-year, $104.5 million contract to stay with the team during free agency in 2017.
The Brooklyn Nets had offered him a similar contract early in the free agency period, but since Porter was a restricted free agent, the Wizards had the opportunity to match any contract that he could've received. In addition to the Nets, the Kings showed interest in potentially signing Porter to an offer sheet as well with Porter's representatives even meeting with Sacramento.
Porter and the Wizards are back in action against the Nets on Saturday (7 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension). Sitting at 8-14 and currently out of the playoff picture, Washington could badly use some wins. It won't help that Dwight Howard will be sidelined for several weeks as he needs back surgery.
It's very possible that the Wizards could re-evaluate their stance on trading some of their players if they continue to fall out of contention. Until then, they'll continue moving forward with what they've got and hope for the best.