Wizards trade Brown and Wagner for Gafford and Hutchinson

[2018C3]

As a Bulls fan I liked Gafford's potential. I hope he plays well for you guys.

As far as Hutchinson is concerned. With us he never got rolling but did show some flashes. It seemed every time he came close, something happened that set him back.

His benching this year and the circumstances behind it are odd. Know one knows what really happened. My own thoughts in what could of happened. I think he may have asked for, "Either more minutes or a trade".

Hopefully a change will be good for him, and he will find his role. I wouldn't be all that surprised if either of these guys become productive, Hopefully the trade works out for both teams.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Wagner was going to be gone in the offseason, as is Hutchinson. So this deal is basically Troy Brown at $5.2M for one more year for Gafford at $1.8M a year for the next 2 years. That seems like a pretty good deal to me.

I'm still annoyed that we wasted a year of TBJ's life by not developing him, but ultimately, I question whether he has the defensive chops to ever be anything more than a bench player. I feel like Gifford has more upside. With a bit more improvement, maybe he could be a Rashaun Holmes tier starting center. At the very least, he is the rim-runner/shot blocker archetype that should complement Bryant's stretch 5 archetype nicely.

I was pretty high on Gafford when he came out in the draft.... Id say a good pick up with upside and fills a need for 2 guys that weren't apparently in our plans and struggled to get playing time here.

[doclinkin]

We need a Bigs coach more than ever before. Lopez can exemplify fundamentals but shouldn't have to teach a guy to take his minutes. Bigs develop slow, unless you have someone putting them through a boot camp. Gafford needs it, Rui needs it, Yoeli would have benefitted. It is in vogue to assume Bigs have no utility right now except as rim runners, but this is nonsense., A team that invests heavily in developmental skills on the interior will see real benefit, especially in the playoffs. That said Gafford will benefit the team most if he can develop range even out to the key or the elbow. Otherwise he is just clogging the lane. David Adkins will start him in the right direction, but it is up to him to put in the work.

[doclinkin]

Still, I am cautiously optimistic about both. Hutchison in particular actually. I feel like with encouragement by Russ and with Beal as a model he has the raw tools to develop into a star for this team. I see bits of his game that remind me of Beal: the ability to move in traffic and pull up for a floater. Coming into the team he has better raw athleticism than any player other than Russ. I expect little from him this year: COVID is a beast to come back from. It takes your heart, stamina, attention, wind, and recovery time. But with an offseason to rebuild his game and confidence I see flashes of something special. Yeah you want him to develop a long shot, and his FT % suggests he may be mentally struggling at the NBA level, but I feel like he has a chance to startle doubters and put good answers where he has question marks right now. In college he showed incremental improvement and improved efficiency even under increased work load. I'll be happy when it is clear the playoffs are not the goal this year and the front office insists on spreading the work load to developmental players and the future. Still, defensively, Hutch and Rui on the wing are going to be a problem for other teams' offensive stalwarts. They will force misses. Now we just need a solid front court rebounder behind them and we have the fixins for a really delicious defense. If all goes well.

The only question mark I have is: sounds like maybe we are adding talent without professionalism. Does the positive locker room of scrappy hard workers help both players mature and gain confidence? Or does DC nightlife, in an era of stimmy checks and a newly vaxxed populace prove too much of a distraction for young players with more money than sense. OR instead: Does a positive Russ effect in practice and the locker room provide a boost of energy for players whose motivation is lacking. Does Beal's quiet professionalism and willing instruction prove contagious to players who need a shot of encouragement and focus.

[payitforward]

I would *never* have traded Troy Brown straight up for Chandler Hutchison -- I don't care how bad Troy's season has been.

Hutchison is about to turn 25, he's been bothered by injuries repeatedly, & he's troubled by some emotional problems currently (which, for his sake, you have to hope are temporary).

Troy is still only 21 years old. Guys older than Troy will be drafted in 2022. There'll be more than one guy his age drafted in 2023.

Above all, I would have fired Brooks -- given another coach a chance to develop at talented 21-year old who'd already shown a lot. I would have done that well before giving up on the kid, which is obviously what they did.

Hutchison may still work out ok, but you have to hope that the real get here is Daniel Gafford. Otherwise, it's likely to seem like a foolish move in retrospect. &, even in that case, couldn't we have gotten Gafford straight up for Wagner?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

As a Bulls fan I liked Gafford's potential. I hope he plays well for you guys.

As far as Hutchinson is concerned. With us he never got rolling but did show some flashes. It seemed every time he came close, something happened that set him back.

His benching this year and the circumstances behind it are odd. Know one knows what really happened. My own thoughts in what could of happened. I think he may have asked for, "Either more minutes or a trade".

Hopefully a change will be good for him, and he will find his role. I wouldn't be all that surprised if either of these guys become productive, Hopefully the trade works out for both teams.

For everybody here is a link to a really good summation of every trade:


https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-grading-every-move-from-the-2021-trade-deadline

I appreciate your post, 2018C3!

I believe Hutchison actually has a higher potential. I’m kind of in a spot for time right now but in those flashes I have seen what you saw.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Still, I am cautiously optimistic about both. Hutchison in particular actually. I feel like with encouragement by Russ and with Beal as a model he has the raw tools to develop into a star for this team. I see bits of his game that remind me of Beal: the ability to move in traffic and pull up for a floater. Coming into the team he has better raw athleticism than any player other than Russ. I expect little from him this year: COVID is a beast to come back from. It takes your heart, stamina, attention, wind, and recovery time. But with an offseason to rebuild his game and confidence I see flashes of something special. Yeah you want him to develop a long shot, and his FT % suggests he may be mentally struggling at the NBA level, but I feel like he has a chance to startle doubters and put good answers where he has question marks right now. In college he showed incremental improvement and improved efficiency even under increased work load. I'll be happy when it is clear the playoffs are not the goal this year and the front office insists on spreading the work load to developmental players and the future. Still, defensively, Hutch and Rui on the wing are going to be a problem for other teams' offensive stalwarts. They will force misses. Now we just need a solid front court rebounder behind them and we have the fixins for a really delicious defense. If all goes well.

The only question mark I have is: sounds like maybe we are adding talent without professionalism. Does the positive locker room of scrappy hard workers help both players mature and gain confidence? Or does DC nightlife, in an era of stimmy checks and a newly vaxxed populace prove too much of a distraction for young players with more money than sense. OR instead: Does a positive Russ effect in practice and the locker room provide a boost of energy for players whose motivation is lacking. Does Beal's quiet professionalism and willing instruction prove contagious to players who need a shot of encouragement and focus.

Yeah, man. It’s like so uncommon ... The Washington wizards front office has made a move that I can’t even criticize in the least bit. I’m nothing but optimistic about this just like you seem to be at least a little bit optimistic.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Now my sadistic AutoCorrect talk to text feature refuses to capitalize the second word in Washington wizards. And it is extremely difficult for me to edit the W. **** this phone.

[Dat2U]

I would *never* have traded Troy Brown straight up for Chandler Hutchison -- I don't care how bad Troy's season has been.

Hutchison is about to turn 25, he's been bothered by injuries repeatedly, & he's troubled by some emotional problems currently (which, for his sake, you have to hope are temporary).

Troy is still only 21 years old. Guys older than Troy will be drafted in 2022. There'll be more than one guy his age drafted in 2023.

Above all, I would have fired Brooks -- given another coach a chance to develop at talented 21-year old who'd already shown a lot. I would have done that well before giving up on the kid, which is obviously what they did.

Hutchison may still work out ok, but you have to hope that the real get here is Daniel Gafford. Otherwise, it's likely to seem like a foolish move in retrospect. &, even in that case, couldn't we have gotten Gafford straight up for Wagner?

I agree. Should we really be trading for a guy that got sat down by his team and wasn't playing due to personal issues?

Seemed like we took Chicago's baggage off their hands and did them a favor. Gafford was out the rotation too. I don't mind Gafford as a low value target but the Hutchison piece doesn't make a lot of sense.

Shepp definitely has the Grunfeld trait of kicking the tires on guys they liked during the draft process that didn't work out with their original team.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think the best comp for Gafford is Nerlens Noel. He's certainly in that mold as a player. And that's perfectly fine - as long as the expectations for him is to be our backup center. And his contract is perfect for that role. I think that makes sense for what it was intended to be - which is a relatively small move. And Hitch is a toss at the dart board that we hope to get lucky on but can't expect to. He's got more important issues than basketball at the moment, and it's most important that he get through those than what he does for the Wiz. It's a positive that they didn't go after Theis.

Keon Clark
Larry Nance, Jr

I think those are the two best comparisons that I can come up with. If you look at Chris tabs proteins this

(Kristaps Porzingis)

Daniel Gafford, if he learned to attempt a lot of three point shots, could be that kind of player. Notice how I said attempt and not make? Just like with Rui Hachimura Some big guys just need the green light.

Space Gafford out on offense because he’s got the flood speed to play like a forward. He is the height and the shop locker that your center needs to be.

(Shot blocker)

The translator on this iPhone is a little Japanese man who is a sadist and he lives inside my cervix. Circuits. This is actually kind of fun!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Neither guy will work out if the coach is a moron. You can pay a guy $7 million a year because you think you know but if you don’t know that he don’t know what the **** difference does it make?

[DCZards]

This is from Darnell Mayberry, who covers the Chicago Bulls for The Athletic:

The Wizards did a good job of turning fringe pieces into promising young players who still possess unfulfilled potential. Three years ago, Gafford was thought of as a potential lottery pick before returning to Arkansas for his sophomore season. That decision ultimately hurt him as he slid to the second round. But the Wizards got a low-risk, high-reward center who can change the complexion of games just with his length and athleticism.

Beal, Brooks and Sheppard are all correct in envisioning how Gafford can contribute with his shot-blocking and lob-catching. He’s elite at both and will clean up defensive breakdowns and routinely finish with strong dunks. The Wizards made out well filling a need here without relinquishing picks or additional assets.

Hutchison is more of a wild card. He’s appeared in only 79 games over his first two-and-a-half seasons, including just seven this season due to health and safety protocols and an undisclosed personal reason. In theory, he’s a rangy 3-and-D type, only his 3-point shot continues to be a work in progress and his penchant for injury has kept him out of the lineup. If the Wizards can rebuild Hutchison, instill some confidence and help him with his durability issues, he can be a solid rotational wing. If they can’t, he’ll likely be a short-term rental.

[Dat2U]

Hutchison sounds like shades of Dominic McGuire lol.

[TGW]

Hutchison sounds like shades of Dominic McGuire lol.

Yea I was watching some highlights of him and I don't think I saw one jumpshot made. Makes sense, considering he's shooting less than 30% from the floor.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Alan Lu scouted Chandler Hutchison:

https://www.nbascoutinglive.com/chandler-hutchison-scouting-report/

I cannot tell you how the guy please because I haven’t been watching any video. The type of player who he sounds like is CJ Miles.

What this guy is (based on the scouting report and the observations you guys have made) is a real solid athlete who scores in transition. He can be a very explosive scorer (I would say an awesome sixth or seventh man If groomed properly).

Any old heads that remember the Bullets? Don Collins

For those of you that are kind of young Ladelle Eccles.(I really hate this translation feature). Ledell Eackles

[closg00]

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/03/moe-wagner-trade-meet-the-boston-celtics-newest-big-man-who-already-got-his-feet-wet.html

[payitforward]

I think the best comp for Gafford is Nerlens Noel. He's certainly in that mold as a player. And that's perfectly fine - as long as the expectations for him is to be our backup center. And his contract is perfect for that role. I think that makes sense for what it was intended to be - which is a relatively small move. And Hitch is a toss at the dart board that we hope to get lucky on but can't expect to. He's got more important issues than basketball at the moment, and it's most important that he get through those than what he does for the Wiz. It's a positive that they didn't go after Theis.

Keon Clark
Larry Nance, Jr

I think those are the two best comparisons that I can come up with. If you look at Chris tabs proteins this

(Kristaps Porzingis)

Daniel Gafford, if he learned to attempt a lot of three point shots, could be that kind of player. Notice how I said attempt and not make? Just like with Rui Hachimura Some big guys just need the green light.

Space Gafford out on offense because he’s got the flood speed to play like a forward. He is the height and the shop locker that your center needs to be.

(Shot blocker)

The translator on this iPhone is a little Japanese man who is a sadist and he lives inside my cervix. Circuits. This is actually kind of fun!

I was about to write the same thing -- fun!

You should leave the "creative versions" uncorrected & let's see what we can fix vs. what baffles us!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Alright!

[NatP4]

How Gafford ranked among bulls players that played 300+ minutes:

2019-2020
On/off defensive rating: 3rd
On/off net rating: 5th

2020-2021:
On/off defensive rating: 2nd
On/off net rating: 5th

[NatP4]

After reviewing the on/off numbers and other metrics over the last two seasons, Gafford looks to be a huge pickup for us. He checks the box of young athletic rim protecting big. The contract is awesome.

Next step: find a young guard of the future(please Jalen Suggs)