Wizards Big Deal...

And you thought the Redskins were the only ones who made headlines during draft week...



Instead of standing pat while holding a 13 (dealer has bust card), the Wizards reshuffled their lineup with a monster trade--shipping forwards Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov to Minnesota with the teams first round pick (5th overall) for Timberwolves guard Randy Foye and forward Mike Miller (the guy who hit the last-second runner to beat Butler in 2000's NCAA Tournament first round).



I like bringing in Foye...a natural point guard whose 16 points and 4 assists were career highs this past winter; his assists have risen each season. Hopefully he will bring balance to the backcourt if Gilbert Arenas comes back at full-strength. Miller is a nice acquisition because his $9.5 million dollar contract expires after next season. Two years ago he averaged career high 19 points... since then his production has declined to the point where he scored less than ten points a game last winter (although his rebounding has actually gotten better over the last five seasons). If Miller can bang off the bench, all the more power to the Wizards regarding this trade.



In trading Etan Thomas the Wizards lose a big who for whatever reason never became a full-time monster; Darius Songaila has been a third tier piece as of late and Pecherov is mainly a mystery. By getting rid of the #5 pick in a weak draft the club doesn't have to pay someone to sit or underachieve. One never knows exactly how trades will wind up-- especially one with as many moving pieces-- but with Ernie Grunfeld's track record you have to have faith in the Wizards' mindset.