Once upon time the Washington Wizards were loaded at the small forward position. They had two promising young talents at the position in Otto Porter Jr., and Kelly Oubre. Jr.
As the 2018-19 season began to sour and fall short of expectations, the team traded not one, but both young wings. With news that Jabari Parker has agreed to a two-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks, the Wizards have just a 2023 second-round pick from the Chicago Bulls to show for trading Oubre and Porter.
Oubre was the first to be moved in December. The 23-year old was approaching free agency at the time in his final year of his rookie contract. With Porter already on the books with a max deal, affording Oubre was not in the cards.
He was also struggling with his three-point shot, shooting 31.1% in 29 games, and he just seemed unable to fulfill the role etched for him. Trading him for veteran pieces was ideal, however, the Wizards received Trevor Ariza from the Phoenix Suns for Oubre and Austin Rivers.
Ariza was also in an expiring contract. And while Ariza provided much-needed leadership, his return to DC wasn’t as fruitful as his first go-around. The Wizards finished 32-50 on the season.
Despite adding Ariza the season continued to disappoint in large due to the fact Dwight Howard, who the team had signed in the summer, never returned after lower back surgery and nine games. Then John Wall, the cornerstone of the franchise, was shut down due to a heel injury.
Wall later tore his Achilles after falling in his house after his initial heel surgery. And with the diagnosis of him missing another full season in 2019-20, and the Wizards unable to climb out of their hole in the standings, the team opted to reboot. Getting under the luxury tax was a goal, and looking for future salary cap relief.
Wall’s super max extension he signed in the summer of 2017 is set to kick in next season. Paying an injured player more than $37.8 million forced Washington’s hand.
Porter, 25, wasn’t living up to the four-year $106.5 million max deal he signed in 2017. His three-point shooting had fallen off, dropping from the 44.1% he shot the previous season to 36.9%.
He had fallen out of grace with head coach Scott Brooks after a knee injury sidelined him.
The irony, when the Wizards nabbed Oubre in the first-round of the 2015 NBA Draft, many assumed he was going to be Porter’s replacement. However, then-team president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld matched the Brooklyn Nets’ offer sheet for Porter in 2017, as the Wizards were coming off a 49-win season and one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.
Moving Porter and getting out of his deal had become imperative. However, landing Parker, Bobby Portis, and a 2023 second-round pick didn’t seem like a reasonable haul.
Both Parker and Portis were in contract years. Parker, who had an injury-plagued four-year stint in Milwaukee had outwore his welcome with his hometown team Chicago in less than a season. Portis had reportedly turned down an extension offer from the Bulls as his rookie contract approached an end.
Both Portis and Parker seemed to fit in DC. Parker averaged 15 points and 7.2 rebounds in 25 games. Portis averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 40.3% from three in 28 games with the Wizards.
Yet, the Wizards opted to go in different directions as they needed to reduce their payroll. Portis signed a two-year deal with the New York Knicks worth $31 million after Washington rescinded their qualifying offer. Monday, Parker signed with Atlanta after the Wizards declined a $20 million team option for next season.
Therefore with Ariza signing with Sacramento, the Wizards have just a second-round pick to show for trading a pair of quality starting small forwards with each being under 26 years of age at the time.
Meanwhile, Porter seems more comfortable in Chicago. Oubre is still a free agent after a full week of free agency. One suspects that his deal won’t be for groundbreaking money, leaving Grunfeld and the Wizards’ decisions of moving him before moving Porter more perplexing.
