4 Questions facing the Washington Wizards after the trade deadline

What roles will Jerome Robinson and Shabazz Napier have?

If you have been living under a rock over the past couple of days, you missed a crazy trade deadline.

After all the dust settled and big moves were made, the Washington Wizards walked away with two new players in Jerome Robinson from the LA Clippers and Shabazz Napier who most recently played for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Shipping out Isaiah Thomas and Jordan McRae might be hard for some Wizards fans, but this resulted in some new interesting pieces.

Robinson is clearly the more important piece that they came away with. The 13th pick in the 2018 draft, he was reportedly very high on the Wizards radar. They picked just two spots later (15th) during that draft.

A sharpshooter out of Boston College, Robinson displayed a complete offensive package at the college level. His ability to score from everywhere on the floor is what made the Clippers fall in love and draft him.

However, since being drafted, Robinson has had a tough time cracking the rotation in LA. He only averaged about ten minutes per game during his time in LA, but that should not come as much of a surprise. Robinson was definitely a guy who needed some time to develop and with the Clippers moving into win-now mode after adding Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, someone was going to be the odd man out.

Now in D.C., Robinson will have a much better opportunity to blossom as a wing off the bench for the Wizards. He will have the chance to come in and compete with players who are in similar spots in their careers and they can all grow together. With the Wizards moving Jordan McRae, a spot will open up in the rotation at the two-guard position. That will most likely be Robinson’s for the taking.

Napier, on the other hand, may have a much different role. Before being traded by Minnesota to Denver, Napier was enjoying his best pro season. Averaging 9.6 points, 5.2 assists and shooting 40 percent from the field, Napier has established himself as a quality backup point guard.

The issue for Napier in D.C., though, is the eventual return of John Wall. For the rest of this season, Napier will get to do what he has always done. He will be a game manager who will be able to come in, score a little bit, shoot well, and command the floor.

The most likely situation is that Ish Smith takes over the starting role and Napier becomes his backup. However, regardless of who starts and who comes off the bench, once Wall comes back, the backcourt will become a bit crowded.

Ish will most likely be the backup upon Wall’s return, so what does this mean for Napier? When bringing him in, it is clear that at the minimum, he will be a stopgap for the rest of the season. But is there any chance he comes back?

Another question mark that arose was the actual deal that brought Napier to D.C. He was traded straight up for Jordan McRae and if he solely becomes a stopgap who leaves this summer, it makes you wonder if the Wizards could have gotten a better package for McRae.

Regardless of what their roles may be, both Robinson and Napier will be auditioning for the rest of the season. Just like they are with the rest of the roster, the Wizards will feel things out with these two.

The questions that were brought up in this article may not be answered today or tomorrow, but seeing those situations unfold will be important for the Wizards both in the short and long-term.

Happy Trade Deadline Season! Until next year…