Nets trade Bojan Bogdanovic to Wizards for veterans, draft pick

The Washington Wizards need depth, and the Brooklyn Nets need draft picks.

On Wednesday, the Wizards traded forward Andrew Nicholson, guard-forward Marcus Thornton and a 2017 first-round pick to the Nets for shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic and forward Chris McCullough, two people with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports.

The people requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly until the deal is official.

The 2017 first-round pick going to the Nets from the Wizards is lottery protected, so it’s just about guaranteed given Washington’s position in the Eastern Conference that the Nets will get the pick in the June draft. The Nets will also have Boston’s first-round pick (Boston has Brooklyn’s), giving the Nets two first-round picks that will fall in the 20s.

GALLERY: NBA TRADE DEADLINE TRACKER

The Wizards need bench help and Bogdanovic will give the league’s second-worst scoring bench a boost. He’s averaging 14.2 points – more than double any Wizards reserve is averaging – and shooting 35.7% on three-pointers. He was a starter for the Nets but will come off the bench for Washington.

Nicholson, who the Wizards acquired in the offseason, is averaging just 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.3 minutes after signing a four-year, $26 million contract last summer. The cost for shedding Nicholson was a first-round pick which the Nets need. Boston has the right to swap its 2017 first-round pick for Brooklyn's, and the Celtics will do that considering the Nets will have a top-four selection. The Nets do not have a 2018 first-round pick. Assets in the name of draft picks are important for Brooklyn's rebuild.

The Vertical first reported the trade.

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