Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards: Revisiting trade deadline deals of the past

By Jack Skolnik

BROOKLYN, NY - DECEMBER 5: Markieff Morris #5 of the Washington Wizards goes after the loose ball against Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Brooklyn Nets during the game on December 5, 2016 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - DECEMBER 5: Markieff Morris #5 of the Washington Wizards goes after the loose ball against Bojan Bogdanovic #44 of the Brooklyn Nets during the game on December 5, 2016 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Washington Wizards
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2015 Deadline

The first deal on our list is a deal that casual NBA fans (and even some Wizards fans) probably forgot about. Ahead of the 2015 deadline, the Washington Wizards were sitting at 33-21, trying to make a playoff push. To do that, they felt they needed to make an adjustment.

Acquired the season before, Andre Miller was a stopgap for the Wizards. He was nearing the end of his career at age 38. In 2014-2015, he played in 51 games for the Wizards and only avered3.7 points and 2.2 assists in about 12 minutes per game.

Don’t get it twisted, Andre Miller was a very quality point guard during his NBA career. However, in a time when the Wizards were in desperate need of a backup point guard who could eat up minutes, it was time to move on. Enter: Ramon Sessions.

After a solid year splitting time between the Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks, Sessions joined the Sacramento Kings but soon began to fall out of favor in Sacramento. At age 28, though, it was clear Sessions had a lot of good basketball left in him, so the Wizards took a chance. The Kings, who were trying to open up more minutes for young point guard Ray McCallum at the time were happy to send him away.

Was Sessions the best point guard on the market at the time? Probably not. The Wiz also had a lot of interest in Jarrett Jack, who at the time was averaging 12 points and five assists off the bench for the Brooklyn Nets. However, when Sessions came available, and the price was only Andre Miller, the Wizards knew it was a no brainer.

Up to this point in the John Wall era, back up point guards were lacking, to say the least. Names like Eric Maynor and Jannero Pargo still make Wizards fans cringe. Ramon Sessions was by no means a star, but he was a guy who could come in and give you quality minutes off the bench. He was a game manager and did not make a whole lot of mistakes. He was an upgrade.

After being traded to the Wizards, Sessions played in 28 regular season games averaging 7.5 points and three assists in about 20 minutes off the bench. As the 2014-2015 season progressed, Sessions became an excellent insurance policy.

Wizards fans will always remember the 2014-2015 season as the, “what could have been” playoff run. The Wizards came into the 2015 playoffs firing on all cylinders, sweeping the Toronto Raptors thanks to Paul Pierce hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. Then, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, John Wall broke his hand.

Although the Wizards ended up losing the hard-fought series in 6 games, Ramon Sessions started three of the games and performed admirably. Having a backup who can come in a spot start is a luxury the Wizards had never had before this.

After that 2015 playoffs, Sessions returned to Washington for the 2015-2016 season and averaged 10 points and three assists, appearing in all 82 games. After spending a season and a half in DC, Sessions left to sign a contract in Charlotte but did return briefly in 2018.

All in all, this deadline deal was a win for the Wizards. Was it the biggest win? No. But when you are a team in desperate need of a backup point guard and all it takes is a 97-year-old Andre Miller? You are making the right move. That season and a half of Ramon Sessions is probably the best backup point guard minutes the Wizards have had in the Wall era outside of a season of Tomas Satoransky.

This deal was not a groundbreaking trade by any means. However, it proved to be useful, and you can definitely say that the Wizards made the right move.

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