The Washington Wizards have begun the process of addressing their point guard issues, it seems. After taking a combo guard in Johnny Davis out of Wisconsin with their first round draft pick, Washington acted quickly to address their need for a true point guard.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, The Wizards have agreed to a deal with the Denver Nuggets that brings veteran point guard Monte Morris to Washington. Additionally, the Wizards add wing Will Barton.
Denver is nearing trading Monte Morris and Will Barton to Washington in deal for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2022
In order to lock in Barton and Morris, the Wizards are sending back point guard Ish Smith along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. KCP is a 3 and D wing the Nuggets will use in a variety of ways while Smith can slot into the backup point guard spot Morris once filled.
In Washington, Morris will be able to earn the first full time starter role of his NBA career. Although he started 74 games for the Nuggets last year, that was due to the injury and rehab of starting guard Jamal Murray.
Wizards Get Value In Morris, Barton
In his role off the bench and filling in for Murray, Morris has proven more than capable of being a solid floor general. Last year in Denver he averaged 12.6 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field.
A key skillset Morris brings, in addition to his point guard abilities, is the ability to take and make perimeter shots. Bradley Beal wanted a backcourt mate that offered spacing, and Morris is a good shooter to say the least.
He shot 39.5 percent from deep last season. That lines up well with his career success rate of 39.4 percent. Morris is a major upgrade not only at the point guard position, but also in terms of shooting for the roster in general.
Morris is under contract for the next two seasons at just under $10 million each year. Even if he doesn’t take a jump with an extended role, he is on a very fair market value contract. seeing a step forward for the guard would not be shocking by any means. He is still just 27 years old and has shown growth in every year of his NBA career.
While Morris is the centerpiece of the deal for the Wizards, Barton brings back good value that Washington loses by sending KCP to the Nuggets. He’s on an expiring contract, so there’s some possibility he is moved in an upcoming deal regardless of the hole he seems to fill for the Wizards.
If he sticks with Washington, the Wizards are getting a capable scorer that does a little bit of everything else to help his team. He knocked down 36.5 percent of his three point attempts last season while averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.