Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said on Wednesday that center Ian Mahinmi will not play in tomorrow’s regular-season finale against the Celtics, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link).
Since the Wizards landed in Orlando for the seeding games, Mahinmi has not played a single minute. This season, the 33-year-old center only played in 38 games, averaging 7.4 PPG and 5.7 RPG.
The Wizards were expecting Mahinmi to be their veteran rim protector when they signed him to a four-year, $64MM contract in the summer of 2016. However, that never came to fruition due to injuries. Over the last two seasons, Mahinmi has only played in 72 games. The veteran center is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Here’s more from across the Eastern Conference:
- The Pacers haven’t ruled out a potential return for All-star forward Domantas Sabonis, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. Sabonis has been sidelined with plantar fasciitis and not played a single game in Orlando. This season, the 6’11 forward is averaging 18.5 PPG and 12.5 RPG.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel looked at the potential role Rookie of the Year finalist Kendrick Nunn might play for the Heat going forward. Nunn left the Disney World campus last week due to a personal matter but returned over the weekend. We learned on Wednesday that the rookie point guard cleared quarantine. Winderman believes that the rookie point guard could find himself coming off of the bench, especially if Goran Dragic starts for Miami.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks gave an overview of what the Knicks’ offseason looks like, starting with October’s NBA draft and then heading into free agency. According to Marks, the Knicks will have to make financial decisions on Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton, and Reggie Bullock. Out of those five players, Portis might be the most important on the list as he has a $15.8MM team option, which needs to be exercised by Oct. 17.
I so hope Domas comes back to play! Dude is so good! That is the thing with plantar fasciitis, it is a matter of rest & been able to endure the pain. Similar with Capela this year he had been on & off with it, but both will be strong for next season!
I agree. Sabonis is one my favorite players and it seems like he’s really found a niche on the Pacers. He’s steadily improved over the years and I love seeing players gradually develop over time. The best is seeing undrafted or overlooked athletes make a name for themselves
Mahinmi? Somebody on the phone for you. Says he is calling from Shanghai.
Mahinmi could be a decent veteran mentor/rim protector off the bench for a contender in need of size such as the Clippers, Rockets, or Warriors. He would be an upgrade over Noah and Chandler
Seems like Mahinmi has been on the roster since like 2005 but I don’t think I’ve seen him play one minute. Usually bigs wait til they get to the Knicks before they stop trying.
Noah looked rusty yesterday but he’s still a damn sight better than Mahinmi – he’s a former DPOY, Mahinmi is more like bench player of the year.