The Wizards made a trade, just not one involving their main players.
Washington finalized a deal that moved forward/center Jason Smith and a future second-round selection for forward Sam Dekker as part of a three-team deal involving the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks, a source confirms with NBC Sports Washington. The team officially announced the trade Friday night.
Smith, 32, is in the final year of a three-year, $15.7 million contract signed in 2016. The 7-footer, thanks to his energy and surprising 3-point touch, turned into a key contributor off the bench during his first season as the Wizards won 49 regular season games. However, Smith largely fell out of the rotation last season. That trend continued early in the 2018-19 campaign. He averaged 3.7 points in 12 games this season.
Dekker, 24, is a bouncy 6-foot-7 forward who has bounced from team to team early in his career. The No. 18 overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft has played for the Rockets, Clippers and Cavaliers. The University of Wisconsin product averaged 6.3 points in nine games for Cleveland this season and 5.3 points in 162 career games. Dekker, who underwent back surgery during his rookie season, has not played since suffering an ankle injury on Nov. 5.
Smith ends up with the Bucks in the trade, which sent George Hill to Milwaukee and Matthew Dellavedova back to Cleveland along with John Henson and future draft picks. Washington's second-round selection is expected to land with Cleveland.
As a result of the swap, the Wizards lowered their tax payment from $14.49 million to $9.79 million, according to ESPN.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the trade.Â
Check back with NBC Sports Washington for more analysis on this small, but interesting trade for the Wizards.
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