The NBA rumor mill has been churning fiercely lately and one of the hottest headlines is a possible Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz trade. The trade that is supposedly in the works would send backup combo guard Garrett Temple to Utah. As we all know, one of the Jazz’s young stud guards Dante Exum went down with a torn ACL and there is no timetable in place for his return to the hardwood. The Jazz are in dire need of a solid backup guard for the upcoming season and they have targeted Temple of Washington.
Temple filled in for the oft-injured Bradley Beal at the start of the previous season and performed admirably. He showed a smooth stroke from behind the three-point arc and is a plus defender, using his length to his advantage. His minutes diminished substantially, as expected, when Beal made his return. The trade would seem to make some sense for both sides but the Wizards aren’t budging. Washington is unwilling to part ways with the guard, following from J. Michael of CSNWashington.com:
Based on what Im being told, I speculated this Fri, Wiz REALLY like Temple. They're not trying to unload him #WizardsTalk #NBA @CSNWizards
— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) August 10, 2015
Temple is well-liked, has size/length & can defend. Witt, Grunfeld etc love him. They're not giving him away #WizardsTalk #NBA @CSNWizards
— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) August 10, 2015
It’s clear why Washington is not looking to unload the guard. He’s something every NBA team could use, a solid-shooting, defensive minded bench player. Someone who can immediately come into the game and provide some energy. However, plenty of teams deploy this trade tactic to show the other team that they won’t give up their player for nothing. You’re not supposed to make it obvious that you want a trade to happen. If Temple was to remain a Wizard, even with the latest offseason additions such as Gary Neal, Alan Anderson, and Jared Dudley, it seems he still has a solidified spot in Washington’s rotation.