I started a new business earlier this year and have been pretty swamped and fell behind around here.
WRT the trade, I think it was a bet on their ability at the highest levels in the playoffs. Overall, I think Barton and KCP are roughly similar talents but KCP's skill set (better D and shooting, less on ball skill) is a better fit with a championship caliber team. KCP makes the starting lineup work much better and he'll be getting the easiest looks of his career so he should shine.
I'm much less enthusiastic about losing Morris as I feel like Murray was often at his best off ball and Morris was probably in line to play starters minutes as Murray is going to be on a bit of a minutes limit and probably taking back to backs off. I'm confident in Bones stepping up a bit but losing Morris is a bummer. Ish Smith feels like a really good 3rd PG or a pretty poor backup.
With all of that said, I think it probably gave the front office the ability to sign Bruce Brown because the Kroenkes are cheap #######s, so looking at it through that lens, Bruce Brown, KCP (now contracted for three seasons), and Ish Smith is an improvement over Morris and Barton. If Bones take a mini leap next season, it could be a big win. If he is inconsistent, the Nuggets are going to be desperate for a plus backup PG and will again struggle in the bench minutes.
From the Wizards perspective, this was a win assuming they were looking to improve and potentially make the real playoffs. Alas, that is the wrong approach, but it's been the approach for the last 15 years. Being the 8th seed is the worst place to be for a team that isn't on the way up.