7:53 PM: The trade is official, according to a Nets’ press release.
3:01 PM: The Nets and Wizards have agreed to a deal that will send Bojan Bogdanovic to Washington, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Wojnarowski had previously identified the Wizards and Kings as teams with interest in the Brooklyn sharpshooter.
In exchange for Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough, who will also head to Washington in the deal, the Nets will receive Andrew Nicholson, Marcus Thornton, and the Wizards’ 2017 first-round pick, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links). The pick will be lottery protected, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).
Bogdanovic, who will turn 28 in April, was the 31st overall pick in the 2011 draft and eventually arrived stateside to join the Nets in 2014. The 6’8″ forward is is enjoying a career year this season, with 14.2 PPG and a .357 3PT% in 55 games so far.
Although Bogdanovic is on an expiring deal, he’ll be eligible for restricted – rather than unrestricted – free agency this summer. His matching rights will now be held by the Wizards, rather than by Brooklyn, and that has some value. The Nets know first-hand that it can be difficult to steal an RFA away from another team — the club had offer sheets for Allen Crabbe, Tyler Johnson, and Donatas Motiejunas matched in 2016.
Depending on whether the Wizards want to commit to Bogdanovic beyond the 2016/17 season, they may have to worry about re-signing two key RFAs in the summer, as Otto Porter is also on track for restricted free agency.
From the Nets’ perspective, the club gets another first-round pick in what’s expected to be a deep and talented draft. That probably makes the deal a win for GM Sean Marks, even though the Wizards’ pick currently projects to fall just 24th overall, as our reverse standings show. The Nets, of course, don’t have their own first-rounder, but they’ll also get Boston’s pick, setting them up for two selections in the 20s.
As for the financial details of the trade, the Nets had been well below the salary floor, but they’ll inch about $2.3MM closer to that mark by taking on Nicholson and Thornton, who combine to earn more than $7MM. Meanwhile, the Wizards will cut costs a little by taking on Bogdanovic ($3.57MM) and McCullough ($1.19MM). Washington should also be able to create a traded player exception in the deal worth about $2.5MM.
While Bogdanovic and Thornton are free agents at season’s end, Nicholson and McCullough are controllable through the 2018/19 season. McCullough will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of ’19, while Nicholson has a player option for the ’19/20 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nets have two picks in the back for the first round this year. Good start to the rebuild.
I’d take a top-4 pick over that any day…
Well yeah, but considering they can’t get that now, this is a good start.
I actually really like this move for Washington
agreed.
Sneaky part of the deal is McCullough. Gives them a young big that can shoot.
A young big that can shoot for their d-league team
the Wiz definetly need bench help. probably good for both teams.
Brooklyn could combine those 2 1st rounders and move up the 2017 draft. I know they would rather be up there in the top-10.
This isn’t the nfl. It doesn’t usually work that way, especially with this draft. Nobody is trading a top 10 pick for 2 top 25 picks
One thing we should of learned about this season and trading is never think somebody won’t trade something for nothing. Anything is possible. Brooklyn has assets to move up in that draft.
You can’t use the Kings as a benchmark for what other teams right do in a trade. The Kings are on a completely different planet from the rest of the league
I’m just saying, anything is possible. We only assume this 2017 draft will be loaded. We can only assume there are teams that won’t trade down to acquire a brook Lopez for a “win now” situation. You’re probably only looking at 3-4 sure fire franchise players in that draft if they come out.
We’ll see if it even amounts to 3 or 4. There have been plenty of drafts where the top talents don’t pan out. I agree that it’s likely this ends up being a great draft, but if there’s 3 or 4 franchise guys and some other solid starters, it would rival the ’03 draft. I’m not sure we have that here.
Agreed
Great trade for the wizards
And nets
McCullough will pack up his locker, say goodbye & then head to Long Island out of habit.
Lol
Awful trade for the nets, not only to they lose the rights to match bogdan, a 2015 1st rd pick in McCullough, have to take on 4 years of Nicholson and all they get back is 25thish draft pick. I think billy king must still be running the team
Bogs is one dimensional, Nicholson gets them out of the salary floor, and the pick is and asset in a loaded draft. Plus Sean marks is running the team not Billy king
salary floors means nothing bc the only penalty is you have to pay the difference of the floor and your team salary to the players on the roster and the point was Billy King might be gone but Sean Marks is making the same awful trades
Called this yesterday.
I figured the Wizards would make a move like. This
you called this exact trade? Or you read the reports yesterday that said the Wizards we’re going to try to trade for a bench piece and figured it might come true, 50/50 chance I guess. Or do you have insider sources in the league?
He read a tarot card with this exact trade
How can anybody be certain that the 21st pick in the draft is better than Bogdanovic,a pretty good player?
They can’t, but they can be certain that he will be cheaper, younger and under team control for longer
What in tarnation are the Nets doing? And then they waived one of the guys they acquired already, so clearly this was all about the draft pick.
Of course it was about the draft pick. What else would it be about?
Well why would you trade a good player for one late 1st round pick? Makes no sense. Teams picking 20th are dreaming of a player like Bogda
He’s a pending free agent and is going to get a significant raise is why. I mean what did you expect the Nets to get for Bogdanovic? A bonafide superstar? The guy is a bench scorer who is putting up numbers on a team that doesn’t have anyone else to put up numbers, or in simple terms, his numbers are inflated.