Grade the trade: Wizards buy low on a potential defensive star in a proposed deal

Grade: A-

This is certainly not a bad return for the Washington Wizards for a player who is on an expiring contract and can leave next summer. Tyus Jones is a valuable point guard but whether it makes sense for Washington to give him a multi-year contract next year is an open question. So, getting two prospects with the potential to be rotation-level players is a worthy return for the Wizards.

The main downside of this trade is the possibility of injuries. Isaac is one of the most injury-prone players in the league, while Okeke has constantly been dealing with knee injuries since he came into the league in 2019, including a torn ACL. Okeke has only played in 142 games in three seasons for the Magic. Despite this number being much higher than Isaac, it’s still far less than ideal.

Because of the injuries to both Isaac and Okeke, it’s hard to project their upside. The sample sizes on both players are too limited to make a reasonable prediction of the caliber of players they will be in a few years.

This can be seen as both a positive and a negative. If the injuries didn’t take too much away from their athleticism, they may still have untapped potential as defenders and playmakers. There is a reason both players were recent first-round picks. However, the negative aspect of this is the possibility that they will never reach their potential due to nagging injuries.

This is a low-floor, high-ceiling return for the Wizards. There is a chance that Washington ends up with nothing to show for in a year after this trade. Yet, there is also a chance that they end up with two high-level rotation players.

If you are willing to roll the dice on those chances, this is a great deal. If you are more risk-averse and prefer a lower-ceiling but higher-floor prospect, then you can probably do better than this package for Tyus Jones.