Washington Wizards: 2016 Offseason Grades

May 15, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) and guard Bradley Beal (3) react against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) and guard Bradley Beal (3) react against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards
Feb 18, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke (3) dribbles past Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 103-89. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Trade For Trey

With Ramon Sessions and Garrett Temple on the way out in free agency, the Wizards needed to bring in some extra padding for the backcourt. In a trade with the Utah Jazz for Trey Burke, they (sort of) accomplished that.

At the mere price of a 2021 second round pick, the Wizards snagged an inefficient bench gunner who caught a bad rap in his first three NBA seasons because he just didn’t fit in. In Washington, he’ll get the chance to learn from a superstar point guard in John Wall and supply the Wizards’ second unit with scoring.

Even better, he’s only owed $3.4 million in the final season of his rookie contract, which is far more preferable than some of the contracts guys like Sessions and D.J. Augustin got this summer.

Holding career averages of 12.1 points and 4.2 assists in 28.2 minutes per game, Burke clearly needs to work on his efficiency. He barely cracked 40 percent shooting for the first time last year (41.3 percent) and shot a career-high 34.4 percent from three-point range.

Still, Burke’s unfair reputation has outgrown his actual flaws, and since he’s only 23 years old, there’s plenty of chance for growth. Perhaps this change of scenery that cost Washington very little will help Burke start fresh.

Grade: B

Next: Signing Satoransky