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NBA Trade Grades: Wizards dumping Markieff Morris to Pelicans

By Daniel Lubofsky

SACRAMENTO, CA - OCTOBER 26: Markieff Morris #5 of the Washington Wizards looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on October 26, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - OCTOBER 26: Markieff Morris #5 of the Washington Wizards looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on October 26, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Washington Wizards

Wall’s devastating injury seems to have completely changed the direction of this Wizards team. Previously content to gun for a low playoff spot, Washington is trying something new, having shipped off Otto Porter Jr. prior to this most recent deal.

A former No. 4 overall pick, Johnson has somehow managed to carve out a career lasting nearly a decade, although he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype he had coming out of Syracuse in the 2010 NBA Draft.

An athletic 6’7” wing, Johnson can get out in transition, but that’s about all he’s good for on a given night. He’s currently shooting 38.0 percent from downtown, but with a career 33.8 percent conversion rate from out there, it’s hard to tell whether this season’s shooting prowess is the new norm or just an outlier.

Firmly out of the playoff picture with a very murky future, the Wizards were set on clearing as much of their bloated cap as possible. The deal gets them out of the luxury tax, an area they’ve been swimming in since handing out a trio of $100 million deals.

Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see what they do after finally clawing themselves out of NBA financial hell, but it’s as good a place to start as any for a team forced to drastically alter its future.

Grade: C+