Last night, the Wizards made their first of hopefully many trades this season. Unfortunately, this trade was not a blockbuster involving John Wall or Bradley Beal, but this is the deal:
Bucks get: George Hill, Jason Smith, Cavs 2021 second-round pick, and Cash considerations from the Wizards
Cavs get: Matthew Dellavedova, John Henson, Milwaukee’s 2021 first-round pick, Milwaukee’s 2021 second round picks, and Wizards 2022 second-round pick
Wizards get: Sam Dekker
Break down: The Wizards sent away a 2022 second round pick, cash considerations, and Jason Smith to get Sam Dekker.
Pros of the Deal
This deal does give the Wizards some cap flexibility. As a result of trading away Jason Smith’s $5.45 million contract to receive a player they only need to pay $2.8 million, the Wizards will pay $6 million less in luxury tax. Sam Dekker has been injured for a lot of the early portion of the season, but he has shown promise especially behind the 3 point line shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc. I do like the idea of adding a young player with potential that can hit the 3. Also, Dekker will be a restricted free agent next summer, so the Wizards can decide after the season whether or not they want to make a $3.9 million qualifying offer in hopes of retaining him. They have this whole season to figure out what they want to do with Dekker.
Cons of the Deal
Sam Dekker was a first round pick but has not lived up to that status yet. Since being drafted in 2015, he has now played for 4 teams already. Over his career, he has only averaged 5.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, and only shot 28% from 3. Losing Jason Smith could be a blow to an already unsteady locker room. He was one of the most well-liked players on the team, and in my opinion, one of the best teammates in the league. He was always ready if his number was called, and he was always the first guy off the bench running out to give high fives to his teammates during timeouts. Hopefully losing a levelheaded, good teammate won’t let things in the locker room spiral out of control again. Lastly, the Wizards have now traded all of their second-round picks up until 2022. For a team with very few contracts in the books past this season, having those picks to take chances on an unpolished players with upside could have been an advantage. Although the second round is not loaded with talent normally, a study by NBC Sports has shown that 91/132 second-round draft picks over the past 6 years has received some form of a guaranteed contract; That’s 69%.
Final thoughts…
I do not particularly have strong feelings about this trade. I will miss the positive attitude and sideline cheerfulness of Jason Smith, but this trade does give financial flexibility and make the Wizards a little bit younger. Sam Dekker has potential, however, I do not see him having a very larger, if any, role in the rotation with players like Otto Porter, Kelly Oubre, Markieff Morris, and Jeff Green in front of him. If the Wizards plan on making more trades, then maybe Sam Dekker will have more of a chance to contribute. Overall, this trade has pros and cons, and does not move the needle much either way.
Stay tuned for my next 10 game update on December 16th!!
Boo On The Bullets 
I feel the same way about this trade. Makes sense from a business standpoint and maybe Dekker might bring some energy and defense to the rotation once healthy. While 5M is a lot to pay for a player who doesn’t see the floor, Jason Smith was such a positive force in the locker room and on the bench. His departure will be felt by the team going forward.
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