Wiz of Awes
Fansided

Washington Wizards: Grading every offseason move

By Cem Yolbulan

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 13: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket against Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at Chase Center on February 13, 2023 in San Francisco, California. 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. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 13: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket against Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at Chase Center on February 13, 2023 in San Francisco, California. 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. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

The Monte Morris trade

Grade: C-

The most disappointing move of the summer for the Washington Wizards was the trade sending Monte Morris to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick.

The Wizards clearly prioritized clearing the books, gathering as many draft picks as possible, and opening up playing time for their young players. Especially after the addition of Tyus Jones, there was not enough playing time to go around to accommodate Monte Morris. It made sense to move on from him, but a single second-rounder is an underwhelming return for a very competent point guard.

Morris is an elite backup who many teams could have traded for during the season. The Wizards presumably would have done better at the trade deadline than this package. It’s certainly hard to do worse, especially considering the Wizards owe two second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons in the 2024 and 2025 drafts. Not getting at least one of those back is disappointing.

Not getting any salary back in this deal is certainly positive. However, if Washington wasn’t getting the draft picks they desired, at least getting one young low-level prospect that they could have tried to develop would have been preferable.

Maybe the Wizards wanted to do Monte Morris a solid by letting him play for his hometown team if he wasn’t going to be part of the rotation in Washington. Still, it’s hard to imagine the Wizards couldn’t have gotten a better return here.

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