The Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns swapped centers last Friday with the former getting Marcin Gortat and the latter nabbing Emeka Okafor and a first round draft pick in next year's lottery that is projected to be in the top 12.
Also included in the trade are guards Shannon Brown, Kendall Marshall and Malcolm Lee who were sent to Washington for salary cap purposes. It is expected that the three players will be waived by the Wizards, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Gortat, a 6-foot-11 center from Poland, had averages of 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds. Before playing for Phoenix, he also had stints with Toronto and Orlando, where he played as back-up to All-Star center Dwight Howard.
According to a Washington Wizards press release, Wizards President Ernie Grunfield described him as a "consistent and productive inside presence." The Wizards hope that Gortat will give them a steady scorer and rebounder who can complement the outside game of guards John Wall and Bradley Beal.
In getting Gortat, the Wizards give up the rights to Okafor who has been in the injury list for quite some time because of a herniated disk in the neck. Traded by New Orleans, he was once a promising player with the Charlotte Bobcats which drafted him in 2004. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2004-2005.
But the Suns are more interested in the future draft pick that goes along with Okafor, giving the team potentially four choices in the first round next year as the franchise continues to rebuild.
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