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Washington Wizards: Which 2017 free agents should they retain?

By Kenny Chapman

Mar 7, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2), guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) and forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2), guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) and forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 13, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trey Burke (33) dribbles as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jerami Grant (9) defends during the second half at Verizon Center. Washington Wizards defeated Oklahoma City Thunder 120-98. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trey Burke (33) dribbles as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jerami Grant (9) defends during the second half at Verizon Center. Washington Wizards defeated Oklahoma City Thunder 120-98. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Trey Burke

Trey Burke has had a lackluster NBA career so far. Through his four years in the league, he’s averaged 5.0 points and 1.8 assists per game. Some may credit those poor numbers with a lack of opportunity, but some may also say his lack of opportunity stems from his inability to be effective on the court for the Wizards.

In his previous three years with the Utah Jazz, he averaged well over 20 minutes a game, 12 points per game and 4.1 assists per game. But his numbers and role have been rapidly diminishing since his rookie season:

  • 2013-14:  32.3 MPG
  • 2014-15:  30.1 MPG
  • 2015-16:  21.3 MPG
  • 2016-17:  12.3 MPG

Trey Burke has slowly turned into a backup point guard in the NBA. He became less and less effective for the Jazz, until it didn’t make sense to keep him on the roster. The Wizards picked him up, hoping to grab a solid contributor behind John Wall, and he hasn’t delivered.

Burke had the second worst plus/minus score on the team at -2.8. He also had a horrible net rating of -9.2. Burke just hasn’t been effective in any capacity for the Wizards, and with his assisting ability rapidly declining, it doesn’t make sense to match his qualifying offer of $4.2 million, even if they they hadn’t just traded for a better backup point guard like Frazier.

Final Decision: Don’t retain

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