The Washington Wizards have traded forward Jason Smith and a 2022 second-round draft pick to the Milwaukee Bucks and have acquired forward Sam Dekker and a 2021 second-draft pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team trade, according to multiple reports.
Milwaukee will also receive guard George Hill while Cleveland will get back guard Matthew Dellavedova, center John Henson, a first-round draft pick and a future second-round draft pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Wizards get to clear money to lower their luxury tax bill by roughly $5 million from $14.49 million to $9.79 million and will receive a $2.68 million trade exception, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Smith had struggled to get playing time with the Wizards and was removed from the rotation as Washington embraces the more modern style of the NBA with smaller and more athletic big men such as Markieff Morris playing the center position. Thomas Bryant has become the fixture at starting center before giving way to Morris in crunch time while Dwight Howard is out two-to-three months with glute surgery.
Smith appeared in 12 games this season, averaging 3.7 points, 3.1 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from three.
While not a key contributor on the court, Smith was an integral part in the locker room while sacrificing his own game for the betterment of the team.
On a personal note @JasonSmith014 is a great professional. Sacrificed minutes for the team, developed a three point shot to stay relevant in a league going small. And was an excellent lockeroom presence. He will be missed. #DCFamily pic.twitter.com/X95kO4dxFW
— Chris Miller 🎥🎙🏀 (@cmillsnbcs) December 8, 2018
Dekker suffered an ankle injury last month and has appeared in nine games this season for Cleveland. He is averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 38.5 percent from three.
It remains to be seen if Dekker will be included in the rotation. He has struggled since entering the league after being a college sensation while at Wisconsin. At the age of 24, there is still time to develop but like Smith, Dekker’s contract expires at the end of the season.
If he can work his way into the rotation and knock down the three, the Wizards retain the rights to match any offer he receives this summer.
