Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
It didn’t take much for Wizards fans and Ernie Grunfeld to see that the Wizards bench was the teams weak link going into the second half. They needed to make some sort of change, even if it was small in case the healthy Wizards team has any bench issues going into the playoffs.
Well, the Wizards didn’t make a Cousins style trade splash, but they did however unload some dead weight acquiring forwards Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough from the Brooklyn Nets for Marcus Thornton, Andrew Nicholson and their first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
The trade not only appeases immediate concerns, but should also have a significant impact for the summer, providing salary cap relief from Nicholson’s contract. Thornton’s contract expires after the season.
“We made some good moves,” Bradley Beal said after the team’s Wednesday night practice. “It’s unfortunate we lose teammates but that’s the business aspect of it. … We’re going to roll. Hopefully they can jump on board and help us out.”
“Bojan is a very good shooter and a talented overall scorer whose versatility gives us an added dimension as we gear up for the stretch run,” General Manager Ernie Grunfeld said in the release. “He is a proven starter that will provide us an added boost off the bench and allow us to be creative with our lineups.”
Washington travels to Philly on Friday night and will return home for two games against the Jazz and Golden State next week.
