In exchange for Isaiah Thomas and Jordan McRae, the Washington Wizards have acquired Shabazz Napier and Jerome Robinson at the deadline.
The Washington Wizards’ trade deadline on Thursday was quiet but efficient. Washington used their two veteran one-year rentals to upgrade their backcourt both now and in the longterm.
They did so via two separate deals. The first, being a straight-up swap with the Denver Nuggets.
In exchange for Jordan McRae, Washington received guard Shabazz Napier. It’s the second relocation for the Wizards’ newest member, as he was apart of the massive four-team deal that saw Clint Capela end up in Atlanta on Tuesday night.
Candace Buckner of the Washington Post was first with the report:
The #Wizards are trading Jordan McRae to the Denver Nuggets for Shabazz Napier, the Post has learned.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) February 6, 2020
Napier is an NBA journeyman by all definitions of the term. Washington will be his sixth team in six seasons if you’re not counting his pit stop in Denver. Napier played most recently with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he averaged 9.6 points and 5.2 assists over 36 games.
Following that move, the Wizards joined in on a three-team deal that saw Marcus Morris join the title-contending LA Clippers. In return for Isaiah Thomas, who was also packaged to the Clippers, Washington received 22-year old shooting guard Jerome Robinson.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN was first with those reports:
The Clippers, Knicks and Wizards have agreed to a three-team trade that will land Marcus Morris and Isaiah Thomas with the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN. Jerome Robinson will join the Wizards, Moe Harkless and a 2020 first-round pick to the Knicks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020
He’s seen a limited role in Los Angeles but had a lot of promise coming out of college, where he played three seasons with Boston College. Los Angeles selected Robinson with the 13th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. This year, he’s played 42 games for the Clippers, starting just once.
Robinson’s averaging 9.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists Per 36. He’ll see a larger role with the Wizards, potentially as the backup to shooting guard Bradley Beal.
All in all, it was a marginal move trade deadline for Washington.
No one could meet their reported asking price for Davis Bertans, and as they’ve said numerous times: they plan on resigning him in the summer. The Washington Wizards have upgraded their frontcourt for all intents and purposes and acquired an interesting young talent moving forward.