Will Barton Trade: Wizards, Pelicans inquired about Nuggets guard

Will Barton, the Denver Nuggets two-guard, has missed a dozen games due to injury this season but that hasn't stopped the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans from inquiring about his availability ahead of the February trade deadline, per reports.

Barton, a candidate for Most Improved Player last season, is averaging 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds and has progressed nicely in his fifth year in the league and is viewed as one of the most reliable scorers off the bench. Even though Nuggets coach Michael Malone prefers Barton playing a sixth man role, the former second round pick has averaged 30.7 minutes per game and is on the floor to close out games for Denver.

Will Barton trade: Wizards, Pelicans interested

According to ESPN's Chris Haynes, the Wizards (12-15) and Pelicans (10-20) have reached out to the Nuggets front office to gauge the availability of Barton. Haynes noted that the talks are merely exploratory at the moment.

Barton has become a perennial fixture on SportsCenter's top 10 plays due to his highlight reel dunks and athleticism. Earlier this year, Fox Sports 1's Chris Broussard (previously ESPN) had told Mike & Mike radio that the Los Angeles Clippers were willing to part with Blake Griffin and Lance Stephenson in exchange for Barton, Kenneth Faried, Nikola Jokic and Danilo Gallinari. However, those rumours were quickly swashed by the Orange County Register, via HoopsHype.

During the offseason, the Denver Post reported that the Nuggets "had other teams offering first-round picks to nab him (Barton via trade)."

The Wizards and Pelicans are two teams that are expected to be busy ahead of February's trade deadline. Since neither team looks good enough to challenge for the eighth seed, at least for moment, a few trades could help them get over the hump during the second half the 2016-17 season. While the Wizards have Bradley Beal as the starting two-guard, the Pelicans could use Barton as a starter.

Will Barton averaged a career-high tally of 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds last season.