The Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets have agreed to swap backup guards in a deadline-day trade. According to Washington Post’s Candace Bucker, the Wizards will send Jordan McRae to the Nuggets in exchange for former first-round pick Shabazz Napier. Both Napier and McRae were selections in the 2014 NBA Draft.
The #Wizards are trading Jordan McRae to the Denver Nuggets for Shabazz Napier, the Post has learned.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) February 6, 2020
For the Denver Nuggets, acquiring Jordan McRae was a solid move after they parted ways with bench scorer Malik Beasley. Beasley was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a historic four-team deal that also included the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks.
Though McRae may not be the biggest name in the NBA, he’s a solid combo guard and was enjoying his best professional year with the Wizards this season. In 29 appearances with the Wizards, including four starts, McRae was averaging a career-high 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists. On a roster lacking much backcourt depth, McRae was a nice scorer in spurts for Washington this season.
In return, the Wizards will receive Shabazz Napier- a shifty point guard who’s played on five different teams since entering the league in 2014. Napier was also part of the massive four-team deal on Thursday, coming over to Denver from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Napier would be traded to Washington before ever suiting up as a Nugget.
Napier was once an exciting college player at UConn but hasn’t quite lived up to expectations since entering the NBA. In 36 games with the Wolves this season, Napier averaged 9.6 points and 5.2 assists. Perhaps he can actually stick with the Wizards as a bench option for the foreseeable future, though it remains to be seen whether he will retain a roster spot with point guard John Wall set to make a return next season.
