The Wizards Acquired Trey Burke for a Pick Five Years Away
Washington traded a 2021 second-round draft selection to Utah for point guard Trey Burke on July 7, 2016. Burke had been selected ninth overall in the 2013 draft and earned All-Rookie recognition, but his responsibilities with the Jazz had diminished as their backcourt developed. The Wizards already had John Wall as their primary playmaker and sought a second-unit guard who could create shots without commanding a starting contract. Utah preferred future draft capital rather than retaining a reserve whose role had shrunk. The eventual 2021 pick became No. 43 and was associated with Greg Brown III, though later draft-right movements require separate accounting. This was a single-player-for-second-rounder swap, not a multi-team deal with additional veterans or first-round choices.
Burke Played Fifty-Seven Washington Games
Burke appeared in 57 Wizards regular-season games in 2016-17 and made no starts. He averaged 5.0 points and 1.8 assists in 12.3 minutes, connecting on 45.5 percent of his shots and 44.3 percent of his three-pointers on limited volume. Those efficiencies were useful for a reserve, but his relatively small playing role also showed why the team needed other bench guard options during a playoff run. He appeared in three postseason games and subsequently left for New York, where he enjoyed a separate scoring resurgence. His later Knicks, Dallas and Philadelphia years should not be credited to Washington from the 2016 transaction. The Wizards B inherited grade recognizes inexpensive, immediate backup availability on a playoff team rather than a long-term starting point guard acquired with a minor draft asset.
Utah Kept the Delayed Pick Instead of the Guard
The Jazz ultimately controlled a future second-round selection connected to No. 43 Greg Brown III in 2021. Such a pick can be useful as a developmental opportunity or as trade compensation, but it does not guarantee a starting NBA player. The selection matured five summers after the original swap, when Burke had already moved through several clubs. Utah's C grade recognizes this delayed optionality while acknowledging that Washington received 57 games of direct NBA production. It would be incorrect to assign Brown's complete later career automatically to the Jazz without following the intervening rights chain. Burke had been an important Jazz rookie years earlier, but those Utah statistics cannot become part of his Washington trade return either. The proper comparison weighs one year of genuine Wizards reserve minutes against a small draft opportunity Utah could hold or exchange.
Final Verdict
Wizards Win. Washington receives B for Trey Burke, who played 57 games at 5.0 points and 1.8 assists during 2016-17. Utah earns C for a 2021 second-round selection associated with No. 43 Greg Brown III. Burke's later NBA performances belong to separate franchises, not the Wizards return.