NBA Rumors: Wizards' Will Barton Seeking Trade, Could Emerge as Buyout Candidate

Washington Wizards veteran Will Barton is seeking a trade to a team that can give him a larger role leading up to the NBA's deadline on Thursday, but if he isn't moved, he could find himself on a new team regardless.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, "rival teams are monitoring Barton as a potential buyout candidate."

Barton is in his first season with the Wizards after spending the last eight seasons of his career with the Denver Nuggets.

The 32-year-old isn't playing nearly as much as he would like, averaging just 19.7 minutes per game off the bench, which is the lowest amount of playing time he has seen since he averaged just 16.9 minutes per game during the 2014-15 season, his third season in the NBA.

Barton is still putting together a respectable campaign, averaging 7.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 38 games while shooting 37.9 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from deep.

Considering the veteran is a candidate to be bought out, it's hard to envision him being traded before Thursday's deadline. If he's bought out, he'll be able to pick where he plays next.

According to Keith Smith of Celtics Blog (h/t Heavy.com's Adam Taylor), there is already mutual interest between the Boston Celtics and Barton should he be bought out by the Wizards.

Adding Barton would give the Celtics another scorer off the bench and some more depth behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. He could be a solid addition for Boston, which is first in the Eastern Conference with a 37-16 record.

However, some other Eastern Conference contenders have also been linked to Barton, including the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets, B/R's Chris Haynes reported on Feb. 3.

The Bucks might still be interested in Barton, but if the Nets trade Kyrie Irving, who requested a move away from the franchise on Friday, it's unclear if they'd still go after the veteran.