Duke Blue Devils Bust Expected to be Dealt by NBA Trade Deadline

Former Duke Blue Devils star Marvin Bagley has not exactly had the NBA career that many anticipated when he was drafted nearly a decade ago.

Since being selected by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Bagley has played for four different teams and is now in his second stint with the Washington Wizards.

And with the NBA trade deadline looming on Thursday, it's looking like Bagley will be on the move again.

Greg Finberg of Bullets Forever has revealed that there is a good chance Bagley is dealt for draft capital this week, which does not come as too much of a surprise considering the Wizards only signed him to a one-year deal over the summer.

Bagley counts just $2.3 million against the salary cap this season, so finding a taker for him should not be too difficult.

Of course, whether or not Washington will be able to land anything more than a mid-to-late second-round pick is the question.

On the surface, Bagley's numbers look good. Terrific, in fact. He is averaging 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds over 19.3 minutes per game this season while shooting 62.8 percent from the floor.

To be quite frank, Bagley has always posted decent numbers. Over the course of his eight-year professional career, the Duke product has posted 11.8 points and 6.4 boards a night on 52.7 percent shooting.

So, what is the issue? Well, Bagley is a terrible defender, and his limited range on his jumper (lifetime 29.6 percent shooter from three-point range) makes it so that he is almost unplayable at times.

There is no question Bagley has skill. He displayed that during his lone campaign with the Blue Devils in 2017-18, when he registered 21 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, garnering all sorts of accolades.

But it's pretty clear at this point that the 26-year-old's game has not really translated on to the NBA level, and for that reason, he has turned into a journeyman.

Bagley's offensive ability and solid rebounding definitely have value, so perhaps a contender would be interested in adding him for those reasons. But it's hard to imagine him ever receiving extensive playing time on a playoff team.

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