Wizards’ trades take backseat to busy NBA trade deadline

The moves made at the NBA trade deadline Thursday weren’t blockbusters, necessarily.

But there were deals, swaps and shakeups — including a couple involving the Washington Wizards — that offered insight into which teams see themselves as contenders and which are looking to the future.

The Wizards sent veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas and the draft rights to Issuf Sanon to the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Jerome Robinson, in a three-team trade with the New York Knicks, and traded forward Jordan McRae to the Denver Nuggets for point guard Shabazz Napier, a source said.

The Golden State Warriors sent D’Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat made a play for former finals MVP Andre Iguodala.

None of the 11 deals on Thursday appear to drastically swing the playoff race, though the Clippers solidified their depth when they acquired forward Marcus Morris from the Knicks.

Iguodala, who has yet to play this season after sitting out the first half with the Grizzlies, should help Miami’s postseason chances. Miami sent Justice Winslow, Dion Waiters and James Johnson to Memphis for Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill. Johnson was later traded again to Minnesota in exchange for Gorgui Deng.

Long term, the Warriors and the Timberwolves should both benefit from their deals. In exchange for Russell, the second overall pick in the 2015 draft, the Timberwolves sent Andrew Wiggins and two draft picks in 2021 — including a top-3 protected first-rounder. Minnesota had pursued the All-Star and can now pair him with center Karl-Anthony Towns, a close friend of Russell.

Golden State, meanwhile, gets valuable draft capital and Wiggins, the former first overall pick in 2014, could be an intriguing piece if he is able to salvage his so-far disappointing career. Though the injury-ravaged Warriors have the worst record in the league, they are likely to be much better next season when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are fully healthy.

The Wizards’ moves fit into the team’s vision of a younger roster that can compete long term. The Wizards notably held onto sharpshooter Davis Bertans despite interest from a variety of playoff teams around the league.

Washington is eager to take a chance on Robinson, the 13th overall pick in 2018. The Wizards were very high on the 6-foot-4 wing out of Boston College before the Clippers drafted him two spots before Washington’s selection.

So far, Robinson has yet to make an impact in the NBA — spending his first two years with the Clippers buried on the depth chart. But Washington has had success in similar scenarios, taking on Bertans from the San Antonio Spurs and Moritz Wagner from the Los Angeles Lakers. Washington likes his positional versatility and ability to shoot the 3.

To get Robinson, the Wizards had to give up Thomas — but that move likely won’t hurt them in the long haul. The former All-Star was a defensive liability and shooting only 40% this season. The Clippers reportedly plan to waive the 30-year-old.

The Wizards can also replace Thomas in the starting lineup with Napier, who started 22 of 36 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Earlier this week, Napier was traded from Minnesota to Denver in a four-team, 12-player trade, but will be rerouted to Washington.

Drafted 24th overall in 2015, Napier has played for the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota. He’s averaging 9.6 points and 5.2 assists this season.

McRae, meanwhile, will join a deep Nuggets team where he is unlikely to crack the rotation, The 28-year-old had been a pleasant surprise for Washington over the last two years, averaging a career-high 12.8 points per game this season. He had recently been out with an ankle injury, but was nearing a return.

Before the trade, Wizards coach Scott Brooks said he anticipated McRae would return to the lineup Friday against the Dallas Mavericks. That obviously won’t happen now. But Brooks indicated potential changes were about to happen to the rotation, trades or no trades.

“If all the guys come back healthy, it’s not going to be the same minutes that these guys were getting when we didn’t have the health,” Brooks said. “Whether the lineup changes, that remains to be seen but there’s definitely going to be minutes changes.”