Washington Wizards NBA Trade Deadline 2017 Reaction: How Bojan Bogdanovic Will Help the Wizards

By: Oz Baig (@obtoojiveforyou)

The Washington Wizards acquisition of Bojan Bogdanovic was the epitome of an Ernie Grunfeld move and was somewhat bittersweet. The Wizards are a better team than they were before the day started, but once again, Grunfeld made a trade that got him out of a mess he created.

On paper, the Washington Wizards, standing at 34-21 overall and within reach of their first 50-win season in more than 30 years, added a player that can immediately bolster their bench.

Bogey is a skilled wing player capable of scoring 12-15 points nightly and adds yet another shooter to a roster which already has the NBA’s leading 3-point shooter percentage wise in Otto Porter and Bradley Beal.

In a league that now emphasizes the 3-point shot, Washington is well armed.

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The second unit, in particular – a unit which routinely has failed to hold leads and has forced the starters to log heavy minutes – now has a scorer capable of anchoring it.

On the flip side, Washington is still is missing a backcourt piece – a need which has been magnified this season by the inconsistent play of Trey Burke, Tomas Satoransky and Marcus Thornton.

Burke has improved to an extent as he’s begun to look to score rather than facilitate.

But, this leads you to wonder: how he does fit with Bogdanovic? Will Burke continue to look for his own offense?

If that’s the case and Bogey is underutilized due to point guard play around him, Washington has paid a premium for a player who may not be in position to excel, and that player may be a rental.

Burke has to get Bogey the ball when and where he needs it, and to do that he has to once again try to be a playmaker – a role he struggled with earlier this season.

Grunfeld’s job isn’t over. Another point guard is needed.

Circling back to the trade; while on surface a 34-31 team improved, a first-round pick was needed to acquire a player who may be a rental to dump a player signed to a long-term contract by  Grunfeld this past summer.

Had Grunfeld used his cap space more wisely and efficiently this past summer, the bench would have already been more productive or at minimum, Nicholson wouldn’t be on the hook for three more years at $19 million. The Washington Wizards’ first-round pick was somewhat devalued by the contract attached to it.

That being said, the Wizards are where they are now, – in good position to potentially advance to their first conference finals since the 1978-1979 season.