February 6th had a number of moves take place in the NBA as the February 7th trade deadline approaches. Maybe it’s because I’m a Duke fan, but I was particularly intrigued by one of them. Otto Porter was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis, and a 2023 second round pick. In 2017, Otto Porter signed a four-year extension worth $106.5 million, seemingly making him a cornerstone piece of the Washington Wizards core; despite that being an absurd contract for a player of Porter’s quality. The other notable piece of this trade is Jabari Parker. Parker has had an injury filled career so far with two torn ACLs. Jabari Parker was drafted by the Bucks to be a corner stone piece and the go to scorer, he was then signed by the Chicago Bulls to be the go-to scoring option and it has not worked out. Now, he goes to Washington where I believe he can revitalize his career and just worry about basketball. As long as Bradley Beal is wearing a Wizards uniform, all Parker has to do is go out and play his game; he no longer has to worry about being the man when he may not be ready for that responsibility right now. Just due to the money John Wall makes, Jabari Parker is a third wheel in a fully healthy Wizards rotation and that may be the best role for him right now. For Otto Porter, he should be excited to go to Chicago and play on the perimeter with defenses collapsing on Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr.
In making this trade, the Bulls admitted that they made a mistake with their big free agent splash this past summer and acquired a player that is better for their system. On the other hand, the Wizards enjoy significant financial savings in making this trade. Going into the 2019-2020 season, the Wizards only have $89 million in guaranteed contracts on their books, which is a saving of $28 million. Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer said on his show Tuesday that he heard from numerous sources that Otto Porter was not available, and the Wizards would not listen to offers for the wing. It is strange to hear that and then find out about this trade. It is possible that the Wizards were just playing it close to the vest and were blown away when the Bulls called, but I am more of the mindset that the Wizards could have got a better deal if they said they would shop Porter. They may not have gotten a player with Jabari Parker’s upside and talent, maybe better draft picks. The Wizards have shown they are not very keen on blowing this team up and starting over; this deal further exemplifies that in my opinion.
