Wizards trade JaVale McGee and Nick Young JaVale McGee is one of the most athletically gifted big men and Nick Young is one of the more capable one-on-one scorers in the NBA, but the talented duo had never been able to transcend those categorizations in their time with the Washington Wizards. They were also at the forefront of the franchise's most recent run of misfortune and set to become free agents this summer. Rather than reward either player with a lucrative contract after this season, the Wizards traded McGee and Young on Thursday in a three-team trade with Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers that signaled a significant shift in the culture and strategy of the team going forward. In a deal that was agreed upon near the end of the 3 p.m. deadline, the Wizards shipped McGee and veteran big man Ronny Turiaf to the Nuggets and Young to the Clippers. In return, they received rugged veteran center Nene from Denver and forward Brian Cook and a future second-round pick from the Clippers. McGee and Young were two of the longest-tenured players on the Wizards" roster. McGee, a fourth-year center, will be a restricted free agent, meaning that the Wizards would have been able to match any offer sheet, but the 7-foot-1 big man was expected to garner a huge salary on the open market. Though McGee was one of just five players in the NBA averaging at least 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and two blocked shots, the Wizards were unwilling to make a large financial commitment to a player who continued to make confusing plays on the court and struggled with defensive concepts. Instead, the Wizards acquired an established big man in Nene, who is averaging 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in his 10th season, all in Denver. Nene, 29, put up all-star worthy numbers last season and was one of the most coveted players in free agency. He signed a five-year, $67-million contract with the Nuggets last December and also is represented by Dan Fegan, the same agent for John Wall. After leading the Wizards in scoring last season, Young sought a contract worth a $9 million annual salary in free agency, settled for a qualifying offer worth $3.7 million. He had the right to veto any deals because he would have to sacrifice his "Bird rights" - a clause that allows teams to go over the salary cap to re-sign him - to get traded. The Wizards wanted to package Young with McGee to Denver, but Young's representatives, according to sources, had informed the Wizards that he would only accept a trade to two places, including the Clippers, his hometown team. Young averaged 16.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in his fifth season with the Wizards. Young was a member of the playoff team as a rookie, but in the past four seasons, he and McGee were on teams that combined to go 77-210. They've also been the primary starters at their respective positions for the past two seasons, but Young was recently benched in favor of Jordan Crawford and McGee was benched for the entire half of one game in Milwaukee and at the start of a game against Orlando. Both players have moved on to teams that are in the playoff hunt, with the Clippers fourth and Denver six in the Western Conference, entering Thursday's games.