"The Washington Wizards took another step toward assembling one of the NBA's more eclectic collection of front-court players Tuesday as they made a trade with New Jersey to acquire a 7-foot small forward from China on the same day they introduced an undersized power forward from South Carolina and a shot-blocking center from Senegal.

Five days after completing a draft-day trade with Minnesota to get Clemson forward Trevor Booker and Rutgers center Hamady N'Diaye, the Wizards formally welcomed them, albeit without the pageantry that accompanied the arrival of No. 1 overall pick John Wall last Friday. Two hours later, the team announced a deal for Yi Jianlian, a versatile but unpolished 22-year-old forward who has only showed flashes of his potential in the past three seasons in Milwaukee and New Jersey.

The Wizards sent swingman Quinton Ross to the Nets.

"It's the Great Wall of Chinatown," Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said, before being informed that the team's top draft pick already has assumed that nickname.

The addition of Yi does open up opportunities in China for the Wizards.

"I don't think we're concerned about the marketing aspect," Grunfeld said. "I think we're much more concerned with the player that we're getting. [Yi] may not have found the right situation, but he's put up some good numbers and he's had some good experience. Our plan all along is to get young players, build with the draft, and this fits into our plan."

Yi, the sixth pick of the 2007 draft, averaged a career-high 12 points and 7.2 rebounds last season for the 12-win Nets, who made the deal to get further under the salary cap in an effort to acquire a marquee free agent. This year's free agency class includes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire. "