WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Wizards announced today that they have acquired forwards Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker as well as a 2023 second round pick from the Bulls in exchange for Otto Porter Jr.
“We are bringing in two former first round picks who will give us frontcourt depth with their ability to play multiple positions,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “The trade also provides us with an opportunity to continue to develop two promising young players while giving us future flexibility.”
Portis (6-11, 250) has averaged career highs of 14.1 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting a career-high .375 from three-point range and .780 from the free throw line in 22 games (six starts) with the Bulls this season. Over 221 career games with the Bulls, he has averaged 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting .461 from the field over four seasons. He is coming off one of his best weeks as a pro, putting up a season-high 33 points on Feb. 2 at Charlotte, scoring 26 points on Jan. 30 at Miami and posting 18 points and a season-high 15 rebounds on Jan. 25 at the L.A. Clippers. Originally selected with the 22nd overall pick by the Bulls in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Arkansas, Portis averaged 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds as a sophomore to earn SEC Player of the Year honors.
Parker (6-8, 245) has averaged 14.3 points, 6.2 rebounds (tying his career high) and 2.2 assists in 39 games with the Bulls this season, posting five double-doubles while recording 20+ points nine times. He has put up 15.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting .487 from the field in 222 career games (167 starts) over five total seasons with Milwaukee and Chicago. Parker’s best season as a pro came in 2016-17 with the Bucks when he had career-high averages in points (20.1), rebounds (6.2) and assists (2.8) while shooting .490 from the field and .365 from three-point range over 51 games. He was originally selected with the second overall pick by the Bucks in the 2014 NBA Draft out of Duke, where he played one season with the Blue Devils and averaged 19.1 points and 8.7 rebounds to earn First Team All-America, First Team All-ACC and ACC Rookie of the Year honors.
Porter Jr. was originally selected by the Wizards with the third overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He averaged 10.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 384 games (271 starts) over his career with the team.
“Otto was always a team-first player and a positive presence for us both on and off the court,” said Grunfeld. “He worked to develop into a very good player during his time here and we wish him the best in this new chapter in his career.”