Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 11:55pm

HINRICH TO WIZ

The Washington Wizards acquired guard Kirk Hinrich and the rights to forward Kevin Seraphin from the Chicago Bulls for a future second-round draft pick.

What does it give the Washington Wizards
Hinrich is still an above-average combo guard. He should play a key leadership role for the rebuilding Wizards (if not start for them) in a backcourt that also includes Gilbert Arenas and top draftee John Wall. Seraphin isn't quite NBA-ready yet but has the talent to be the Wizards' starting center a few years down the road. Overall, this is a nice trade for the Wiz, despite having to take on Hinrich's fat contract.

What does it give the Chicago Bulls
Obviously the Bulls get little in return here asset-wise, but the key for them is getting Hinrich's $9 Million salary off their ledger. That helps them free up big bucks for the impending NBA free agent sweepstakes, moving their spending budget up to roughly $31 Million in cap space to spend on premier free agents for their young and improving squad.

Fantasy impact