The Washington Wizards let the NBA’s trade deadline pass them without much of a whimper. As the Cleveland Cavaliers stole the day with a series of blockbuster moves, the Wizards were relegated to sending injured reserve guard Sheldon Mac and cash considerations to the Atlanta Hawks for a heavily-protected second-round pick. However, Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld tried to land a bigger splash, as Washington got involved in the trade talk for Memphis Grizzlies’ guard Tyreke Evans, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.
Wizards were among the teams in on Tyreke Evans, per league sources. Likely would have parted w/ 2 2nd-rounders in the end, but Grizz made it clear (to WAS and others) they wanted more.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 8, 2018
Washington was staying clear of giving up their first-round pick for this June’s draft. Instead, they offered two second-picks but to no avail. Cannot feel too upset as a fan, because Evans was not moved, meaning Memphis was not intrigued by any other team’s offers.
The Wizards had an opportunity to sign Evans last summer when he was a free agent. Instead he opted to sign with Memphis, while the Wizards signed Jodie Meeks, a player who reportedly wanted to be traded out of Washington before Thursday’s deadline. Both players signed for the same annual pay, $3.29 million. Evans signed a one-year deal, while Meeks signed a two-year deal with a player option for the second year.
Meeks is averaging 6.1 points while shooting 30.6 percent from three-point range 51 games. Evans has started in 26 games, appearing in 46, averaging 19.5 points and 5.0 assists while shooting 39.2 percent from three.
Washington is in need of boosting it’s bench with a scorer and possibly one that can create his own shot like Evans. However, it may have been difficult to incorporate Evans in the mix with Washington’s two ball dominant guards John Wall and Bradley Beal. Nevertheless, Evans helped in some regards.
The Wizards will now wait until the summer to make any moves. Marcin Gortat was a name that was reportedly discussed in trade talks by the Wizards. For now, the Polish Hammer will stay on the roster. He does have an intriguing expiring contract at the end of season.
The Wizards currently sit 1/2 game behind Cleveland for third-place in the Eastern Conference standings.
