Been meaning to copy this in from the Athletic -- I'll highlight key points:
Wizards and Bulls make a trade
The Wizards are trading third-year wing Troy Brown and former Michigan star Mo Wagner to the Bulls for second-year big Daniel Gafford and seldom-used wing Chandler Hutchison, sources have confirmed to The Athletic. The deal was first reported by ESPN. The Wizards were excited about Brown when they drafted him No. 15 overall in 2018, and were thrilled with his progress last season (10.4 ppg in 69 games, 22 starts). He’s only 21. But the acquisition of Russell Westbrook really made Brown a poor fit in Washington, team sources said, and he wasn’t a great match on the second unit with Davis Bertans. The Wizards entered the week looking to trade Brown, knowing he needed a new look as much as they did.
— Joe Vardon
In a blockbuster that will send the league reeling for days, Washington traded Troy Brown and Mo Wagner to Chicago for Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchison.
What was that all about, you ask?
In Washington’s case, it was a need to clear a small bit of salary for next season to use their midlevel exception, acquire a real backup center, and still stay below the luxury tax. With the Wizards owing $5.2 million in 2021-22 to the little-used Brown, a trade seemed the obvious way out. Hutchison “only” makes $4 million, so they saved some money and got a player who may be more capable of operating as a smallball 4.
Brown is likely better than Hutchison, but the Wizards also get a legit backup center out of it in Gafford, who will make the league minimum the next two seasons and should adequately fill a spot that has been an open sore for Washington. By not needing to spend at center, they can focus on wings in free agency. Washington will also get a $2.16 million trade exception for Wagner.
Gafford has been made expendable in Chicago by the acquisition of Nikola Vucevic and the stellar play of veteran Thaddeus Young. Converting him into a potential two-way wing in Brown, especially since they traded Otto Porter earlier today, is a nice piece of back-end roster operating for Chicago.
— John Hollinger
For Wizards fans scratching their heads at their team abandoning yet another former first-round pick for…people, there is a small ray of light in what has been a decades-long cloud formation over the franchise.
Bradley Beal’s “Here we go!” tweet Thursday did not mean he was on his way out of town. Trading Troy Brown, Jr., and Mo Wagner to Chicago for Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchison will help Washington not only use its full mid-level exception next summer to add talent, but give it roster flexibility going forward.
Let’s put it this way: Washington’s next few months are crucial to the next 5-7 years of the franchise. The Wizards are determined to find a third star to pair with Beal and Russell Westbrook, one way or the other – through the draft, free agency or trades. And while there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to pull it off, the fact that they’ve positioned themselves to try means they are still all in on trying to build around Beal, rather than the teardown route Orlando took. Check back in three years to see which franchise was right.
— David Aldridge