WIZ BRINGS IN TREY BURKE TO BACK UP WALL
The Washington Wizards acquired point guard Trey Burke from the Utah Jazz for a 2nd-round draft pick in 2021.
What does it give the Washington Wizards
Some see Burke as a bit of a bust after he was a lottery pick in the 2009 NBA Draft (No. 9 overall). Some of that may be true, but he will probably be a much better fit with the Wizards than he was with the Jazz. Washington needs a quality offensive point guard to back up superstar John Wall, and Burke can be that guy. Burke additionally has solid scoring chops, so he might start some games if / when injury-prone shooting guard Bradley Beal is sidelined. Overall, this is a nice low-risk pickup by the Wiz.
What does it give the Utah Jazz
Burke never seemed to fully fit in with what Utah management is trying to build. Most of the team's other cornerstone young players are uncommonly long of limb and defensively strong; so the small, defensively-challenged Burke was moved after his role shrunk significantly. The draft pick obviously isn't much of a return, but at least Utah saves some cash with this move.
Fantasy impact
With this deal, Burke goes from a forgotten man in fantasy to at least returning to the sleeper radar. He won't likely start for Washington, but it's hard to see his role not growing compared to his most recent season with Utah. The Jazz added veteran George Hill in another trade this off-season, and he is likely to start for the team at point guard (with Shelvin Mack and Raul Neto probably competing for backup minutes).
