Can the Wizards and Sixers rescue each other?

Say this for the Washington Wizards: they've gotten pretty good at treading water. That may sound like a backhanded compliment, but there's something to be said for keeping oneself afloat when the likely alternative is plunging to the watery depths.

The Wizards managed to extricate themselves from John Wall's cinder block of a contract and emerged from that precarious situation in relatively good shape. They turned Wall's contract into Russell Westbrook's contract, then parlayed Westbrook's strong finish during his one season in D.C. into a home-run trade with the Lakers. Washington returned a cadre of productive role players in that deal, loosened up their cap sheet, and got itself back to draft-pick neutral after the initial Wall salary dump. All the while, the Wizards retained their franchise player, who's had every reason to become disillusioned and seek employment elsewhere.

For all that, Washington is the same aggressively mediocre team it's been for the last several years. The Wizards are 24-27, just outside the Eastern Conference play-in picture, and own the league's 21st-ranked offense, 22nd-ranked defense, and eighth-worst net rating. Their 10-3 start is an increasingly distant memory.

Here's the thing, though: the tailspin they've endured since that hot start - which includes the ignominious loss to the Clippers on Jan. 25 that saw them blow a 35-point lead - doesn't really change anything for them in the big picture. They were never going to be anything more than first-round fodder at best. At least now they don't have any illusions about where they stand. Or shouldn't, anyway. They should look at this as an opportunity to kickstart an overdue rebuild.

Bradley Beal, their aforementioned franchise player, can opt out of his contract at season's end. He'll either walk as a free agent or re-up with the Wizards on a five-year, super-max deal that would run them about $240 million. Washington should aim to avoid either of those outcomes. And yet, the front office seems to be seriously contemplating perpetuating the team's purgatorial position while kneecapping its chances for long-term ascension. According to a report from David Aldridge and Josh Robbins at The Athletic, the Wizards are expected to push for "a significant frontcourt upgrade around Beal" before next Thursday's trade deadline, with Domantas Sabonis and Jerami Grant their chief targets.

Let's leave aside for a moment the implausibility of them acquiring Sabonis with the underwhelming trade pieces they have to offer, or how little Grant (who plays a similar role to Kyle Kuzma and arguably isn't any better than him at this point) would move the needle. The fact the Wizards are still trying to see this Beal-centric team-building endeavor through to the bitter end feels misguided, especially when an alternative path is staring them in the face.

Beal is a great player, and his ties to the organization and city run deep. But, as was the case last time his future in Washington hung in the balance, the Wizards simply aren't set up to capitalize on whatever remains of his prime. It's also unlikely that Beal will ever have as much trade value as he has right now. They've probably already waited too long - Beal's on an expiring deal and having his worst season in years - but there's no sense clinging to him in the hope that a winning team will magically coalesce around him.

His impending free agency will scare some teams off, but it's hard to imagine that he'll be a more attractive trade piece on a contract that would pay him an average of $48 million a year through his age-34 season. The Wizards just don't seem to have the stomach to go in a different direction. It's like they've been treading in place for so long, they're afraid to try and swim.

What if the Philadelphia 76ers can provide them a life raft?

The Sixers are one of the few teams in the league right now that would presumably be happy to pony up a premium trade asset for the privilege of paying Beal that gargantuan new contract. It makes sense because of where they are, what they need, their responsibility to Joel Embiid, and the impetus they should feel to honor the championship window his greatness has pried open for them. Embiid is not only playing at an MVP level for a second straight year; he's also having maybe the greatest two-way season for a center since the days of prime Hakeem Olajuwon.

Despite getting zilch from Ben Simmons' max-salary roster spot all season, and even though Embiid has missed 12 games (during which they've gone 4-8), the Sixers sit third in the Eastern Conference and are just a game-and-a-half back of first. That speaks to how good they've played when Embiid's been healthy, and also to the shambolic state of the East.

The Nets are in complete disarray. The Bucks' offense still lacks for ball-handling, and their defense looks much less formidable without Brook Lopez. The Cavaliers probably aren't quite ready yet, and at present, they have exactly one off-the-dribble creator. The Bulls' playoff viability is still a major question mark, specifically on the defensive end. Ditto for Miami's half-court offense, which has been bolstered by a deep bench that won't be as big a factor in the postseason. Holding onto Simmons through the deadline would mean punting on a golden opportunity for Philly. The conference is right there for the taking.

Embiid's increasingly versatile offensive game - whereby he can rain pull-up jumpers from anywhere, shake defenders with multi-crossover combos, and orchestrate sets as a passer from the high or low post - has mitigated some of the Sixers' issues with shot creation and late-game offense. But we saw last year that even with all his improvements, relying on him to create everything for himself and his teammates while also anchoring the defense is a recipe for playoff disappointment.

Tyrese Maxey's emergence as a defense-collapsing attacker and three-level scorer can perhaps further ease those concerns. But he's still limited as a playmaker, and he'll have to prove that his jumper can hold up against playoff defenses that load up on his drives (and on Embiid's rolls and post-ups) and dare him to shoot. It's well-established at this point that Tobias Harris can't be trusted as anything more than a tertiary scorer in high-leverage moments.

It's not totally out of the question that Philly can win the East as presently constructed, but Beal would be one hell of a trump card. True, he's currently having by far the worst 3-point shooting season of his career, hitting just 30% from deep (including 28% from above the break). Yes, his free-throw rate has dipped to its lowest level in four years, and he remains only fleetingly interested in defense. But Beal is still a high-level self-creator who moves beautifully without the ball and would slot in snugly between Embiid and Maxey.

He can be a scorer or a playmaker out of the pick-and-roll, he feasts in the mid-range, and he absolutely lives in the paint. There's no reason to think Beal's 3-point shooting won't rebound, at least to the 35% mark he's settled in at over the last few seasons. Crucially, he can carry transitional lineups offensively when Embiid hits the bench, which is one of the most damaging things Simmons consistently failed to do. Beal is still only 28, four years younger than Philly's other soon-to-be-free-agent target.

Acquiring him would be quite a face-saving maneuver for Daryl Morey after this ugly, drawn-out stalemate with Simmons, full of bluster and hard-line posturing. He could placate the weary fan base and feel comfortable knowing he delivered on his promise to net an All-Star-caliber player in exchange for his disgruntled holdout.

Of course, Morey being Morey, he's still going to haggle. The reporting from Aldridge and Robbins suggests that Philly is unwilling to attach another significant piece to Simmons - like Maxey or Matisse Thybulle - in a Beal trade. Drawing the line at Maxey is justifiable, but it's hard to believe that Morey would nuke a potential deal over Thybulle.

To take it back to the Wizards' side of things, they're pretty light on long-term building blocks for a likely lottery team. Kuzma has blossomed into a very nice all-around player. Deni Avdija has made tremendous defensive strides in his second season in the league. Rui Hachimura has flashed real post-scoring chops and an appetite for physicality. Daniel Gafford has the athleticism and timing to be one of the better rim-running rim-protectors in the league once he dials back his block-chasing tendencies. There's decent complementary talent there, but that's still one of the least exciting young cores in the NBA.

Washington has an opportunity to come out of this deadline having brightened its long-term outlook without significantly depleting its present-day talent. For all the guff he's taken, Simmons is still a tremendous player who would give the Wizards the type of defensive centerpiece it hasn't had since … what, Elvin Hayes? He's three years younger than Beal and on a much more manageable contract.

Even if they decide Simmons is too complicated a player to build around, Washington can reroute him to a third team and pull back a package of players and/or draft picks that are more to its liking. Presumably, the Kings would offer the Wizards the same De'Aaron Fox-centric package they offered Philly for Simmons. Maybe a team like the Celtics could jump into the mix, offering a pick-heavy bundle along with Robert Williams and Marcus Smart.

The compounding downside to keeping Beal is it would mean continuing to play for the present. In that case, the Wizards would likely hold onto their other potential trade chips and shell out most of what remains of their young talent and draft-pick capital to continue chasing low playoff seeds. Trading Beal, conversely, would free them to move just about anyone who won't cost draft assets to unload while making a play for some additional ping-pong balls in the 2022 lottery.

It'll be hard to find a taker for Spencer Dinwiddie, given how badly he's struggled in his return from a torn ACL and has two years and $27 million guaranteed left on his deal after this season. Ditto for the struggling and expensive Davis Bertans. But Washington should get whatever it can for vets like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (whose championship bona fides and small guarantee for next year will make him an appealing target for contenders) and Montrezl Harrell (who's probably been one of the two best bench bigs in the league this season).

It's impossible to know GM Tommy Sheppard's preference because those big decisions don't seem to rest in his hands. Owner Ted Leonsis has long been unwavering about maintaining any shred of near-term relevance, and Aldridge and Robbins report that he "continues to be adamant against a teardown and restart."

What if Beal leaves the Wizards no choice? He's already declined to sign the max extension they've proffered and is reportedly "frustrated" by the team's recent run of poor play. Washington's pre-deadline decision becomes academic if he indicates he won't re-sign in the offseason. Truly, the kindest thing Beal could do right now for the franchise he loves is to demand a trade.

There's no guarantee a fresh start will lead the Wizards anywhere bountiful anytime soon; they may wind up adrift, unmoored from the comforts of their now-familiar patch of sea. At a certain point, though, you have to actually set out to find someplace new.

The Sixers may be in a much different spot, but they're similar in that they haven't escaped recurring problems and need to be yanked out of stasis just as badly. That's why these two teams feel like perfect trading partners. They're just desperate enough to need each other.