See, now, was that so hard?
After the Great Brooks Mix Up of 2018 Friday night, the Suns and Wizards have finally completed their goals, ESPN reported Saturday morning. Trevor Ariza goes to the Wizards for Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers.
It's the Costco version of the three-way trade that broke down Friday night with Memphis because, well, that's complicated. You can read all about that here. The effects are much less for both sides, but this deal was also imperative after the Friday night screw-up.
FOR THE WIZARDS
The Wizards pretty much had to do this deal after subjecting Rivers and Oubre to the emotional upheaval of the trade discussion Friday. They also had to do this deal because they badly need a locker room shake-up to disrupt the most disappointing and depressing roster situation in the league.
Ariza, who's on a one-year deal, is a great locker room guy and had success with the team previously.
The Wizards didn't get more talent here; Rivers is capable, and while Oubre is a shooter who doesn't shoot well and does nothing else, he still has more raw talent that Ariza at this stage.
What the Wizards are banking on is getting a better vibe around the team.
This might also be a precursor to a wider set of trades.
Dealing Oubre prevents Washington to have to re-sign him this summer and Ariza's number will come off the books. The Wizards save money in the short term and clear space.
They can't use that space as currently constituted, of course. They're cap-strapped with the contracts of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter. But if they move one of those three, they suddenly have a little more space this offseason with Ariza coming off the books.
While Rivers was having an OK season, Washington has Tomas Satoransky and Troy Brown Jr. to fill some of that gap.
Oubre never reached his potential; he was a non-passing wing who shot better than 31 percent from 3-point range only once in his Wizards career.
This is a move of desperation from Washington, but honestly, given how their season has gone, they needed some desperation.
FOR THE SUNS
It's a no-real-cost trade for the Suns. They add a little money, but not much. Oubre is a restricted free agent and Rivers is on a one-year deal, so if they want to clear cap space to save money, they can do that.
The Suns badly need anyone who can capably run point and Rivers is at least a decent facsimile of such a player.
They traded a veteran with one of the worst net ratings in the league for a decent guard to fill a need and a wing with upside. From that perspective, it's not bad.
The proposed three-team deal made a lot more sense, as the Suns would've received the Wizards' second-rounders and a player Memphis never had any intention of dealing.
After all the trouble, the Suns and Wizards made a trade that ultimately won't reshape them in any meaningful ways. They help with the symptoms of what both teams are dealing with, but the disease remains.
