The first notable trade of the NBA preseason has reportedly been made by the Phoenix Suns and the Washington Wizards, two teams with playoff droughts of three years or longer.
Marc Stein of ESPN was the first to report, and tweeted out some of the details involved with the deal.
[tweet https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/393850253163511809 align=”center”]
ESPN’s Jeff Goodman confirmed Stein’s report, and added that the Wizards will also receive guard Malcolm Lee and send the Suns a protected 2014 first-round pick.
[tweet https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/393853308760522753 align=”center”]
Gortat being traded is not much of a surprise given his shot-blocking skill, ability to excel as a quality backup center and the fact that he has an expiring contract, which is quite valuable in the NBA.
Marshall is another interesting part of this deal. The Suns used the 13th overall pick in the 2012 draft on the former North Carolina star, who was supposed to be the team’s next great point guard following the trade that sent Steve Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers prior to the 2012-13 season. Marshall will join a backcourt in Washington that already includes two supremely talented players in John Wall and Bradley Beal. A change of scenery could benefit Marshall, who is close to becoming a “draft bust.”
Phoenix receives a quality power forward in Okafor, who’s capable of posting a double-double consistently. The former UConn star has career averages of 12.3 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game. The first round pick is also a valuable asset because the 2014 NBA Draft is expected to be a lot deeper than last year’s.
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