Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Hawks, I. Thomas, Herro, Magic

October 27th, 2019 at 12:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hawks owner Tony Ressler has no regrets about trading Luka Doncic for Trae Young and would make the same decision again, relays Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Atlanta shook up the 2018 draft by agreeing to a deal that enabled Dallas to move up to No. 3 and select the eventual Rookie of the Year. The Hawks received Young, who also looks like a star after a slow start, along with a 2019 pick that was used to add Cam Reddish.

“I have to be honest, but I didn’t think Luka would be this good,” said Ressler, who admitted to being nervous about the gamble. “I didn’t think Trae was going to be this good. They are both better than I expected. I think they’re both really special players and have a shot to be for a really long time if they stay focused. I think this trade is going to have a nice, long history of discussion. I wouldn’t completely, again, declare success or whether we won it or lost it today because I do think both teams have someone they can really help build around for years and years to come.”

The Hawks are in the third step of the plan that Ressler developed to build a title contender after purchasing the team in 2015. Step one was a $200MM renovation to State Farm Arena. Next came a new management team with Travis Schlenk as general manager and Lloyd Pierce, who had experienced rebuilding with the Sixers, as head coach.

“The third step, we don’t know when and we want to do it intelligently, but is spending the money that it will take to add greatness to what we hope is existing greatness,” Ressler explained. “That is how you become a contender.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Isaiah Thomas had a promising debut with the Wizards Saturday night, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. After missing his first four shots, Thomas finished with 16 points, five assists and three rebounds in 20 minutes. The performance offered hope that he can become productive again after two injury-plagued seasons.
Years of early-morning workouts with his father helped prepare rookie Tyler Herro for the Heat culture, notes Lori Nickel of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. When Herro was taken with the 13th pick in this year’s draft, he was ready for Miami’s emphasis on fitness and hard work. “We say it all the time: We’re not for everyone. You have to be the right kind of player,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “So, for a young player you’re checking to see if there’s any kind of entitlement. And there’s zero with that kid. He has a whole lot to his game, because you can tell he’s put in a lot of hours and sweat equity behind the scenes when no one was watching. He’s extremely driven, very ambitious. We love that.”
Even though the Magic are coming off a playoff season, outside shooting remains an area of concern, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Isaiah Thomas Still Hopes To "Get Paid"

October 25th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

While Isaiah Thomas isn’t quite ready to return from his thumb injury, he believes he’s capable of helping the Wizards and improving his own stock in the process — and he thinks head coach Scott Brooks will put him in position to do just that, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. “He wants what’s best for me,” Thomas said of Brooks. “He wants me to play well, obviously, and get what I deserve. And that’s to get paid one day.”
Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington examines the Wizards‘ options for filling Jordan McRae‘s minutes as the guard recovers from a broken finger.

Wizards Denied Disabled Player Exception For John Wall

October 24th, 2019 at 7:25pm CST by clarkcrum

The Wizards request for a disabled player exception for injured All-Star point guard John Wall has been denied, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (via Twitter).

As both Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington and Bobby Marks of ESPN note (via Twitter), the denial does not come as a surprise, as Washington had to show that Wall would be out of action until June 15, 2020, 16 months after surgery, for an injury that generally has an 11-15 month recovery time.

Meanwhile, Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link) adds that the NBA’s denial of the Wizards’ request isn’t that big of a deal, tweeting that the team’s proximity to the tax likely would have prevented them from using the $9.258MM exception anyway.

Moreover, Katz opines (via Twitter) that it would have probably been more concerning had the DPE been granted because it would’ve meant that an independent physician determined Wall’s injury would sideline him for 16 months, begging the question as to the severity of the injury itself.

Jordan McRae Suffers Fractured Finger

October 24th, 2019 at 6:32pm CST by clarkcrum

Fresh off a season-opening loss to Dallas last night, the Wizards have announced via press release that guard Jordan McRae will require surgery to repair a mallet fracture in the tip of his right ring finger. Per the release, the procedure will be performed tomorrow and McRae’s status will be re-evaluated early next week.

McRae, who played 23 minutes and scored 11 points against the Mavs, had seen his role increase to start the 2019/20 campaign while Washington is dealing with injuries to fellow guards John Wall and Isaiah Thomas and forwards C.J. Miles and Troy Brown.

As we relayed on Tuesday, both Brown and Miles were able to practice on Monday, while Thomas participated in a full practice Saturday. However, it still doesn’t appear as if any are ready to go just yet.

For now, two-way player Chris Chiozza figures to probably see a greatly increased role moving forward. Chiozza, 23, logged 19 minutes against Dallas and hit two of his three attempts from long range.

Increased Partial Guarantee For Jordan McRae

October 23rd, 2019 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

ESPN’s Bobby Marks provides some financial details on the rookie scale extensions signed on Monday, outlining (via Twitter) exactly how much bonus money is included in five of those deals. Marks also identifies four players who will receive increased partial guarantees as a result of remaining under contract with their respective teams through Wednesday (Twitter link). Those players are Christian Wood (Pistons), Jordan McRae (Wizards), Kendrick Nunn (Heat), and Trey Burke (Sixers).

Latest On Injured Wizards

October 22nd, 2019 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington passes along health updates on a few injured Wizards players, noting that Troy Brown (calf), C.J. Miles (foot), and Moritz Wagner (back) were all able to practice on Monday. However, Brown and Miles seem unlikely to be ready for the team’s opener on Wednesday, as does Isaiah Thomas (thumb), per head coach Scott Brooks (Twitter link via Hughes).

Wizards Convert Chris Chiozza To Two-Way Deal

October 21st, 2019 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have converted Chris Chiozza‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). The move ensures that Washington now has 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way pacts, making the roster regular-season-ready.

Chiozza, who will turn 24 a month from today, began his professional career last fall by attending training camp with the Wizards, then spent most of his rookie year with the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate. The former Florida guard later signed a 10-day contract and a rest-of-season deal with Houston, making his NBA debut with the Rockets. However, he was waived in July and made his way back to the Wizards this fall.

In 47 total G League games last season for the Go-Go and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston’s affiliate), Chiozza averaged 13.2 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 4.8 RPG with a .437/.409/.760 shooting line.

With John Wall on the shelf due to an Achilles tear and Isaiah Thomas recovering from thumb surgery, Chiozza will provide the Wizards with some extra depth at the point guard spot behind Ish Smith to open the season. His two-way contract will limit him to 45 days at the NBA level, but that clock won’t start until G League training camps get underway next week.

Lakers, Pistons Among Teams With Roster Moves Still To Make

October 21st, 2019 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams have until 5:00pm eastern time today to set their rosters for the 2019/20 regular season. Clubs can continue to make roster moves after that deadline, but when the clock strikes five, no team will be permitted to have more than 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Roster Counts]

Currently, there are seven teams that haven’t yet reached that regular-season limit. One of those seven teams, the Rockets, will reportedly convert Chris Clemons‘ standard contract to a two-way deal today, making official a move that was reported last Thursday.

Two other clubs will make similar moves — the Raptors and Wizards are each carrying 16 players on standard contracts but have open two-way contract slots. Toronto is expected to convert Oshae Brissett to a two-way deal, while Washington will likely do the same for Chris Chiozza.

That leaves just four teams with actual cuts to make. Here’s a breakdown of those four clubs:

Detroit Pistons (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Pistons have 14 players with fully guaranteed salaries and intend to retain Christian Wood, who is on a non-guaranteed contract. That means they’ll have to either waive Joe Johnson – their other non-guaranteed player – or find a trade that allows them to create room on the regular-season roster for Johnson.
Los Angeles Lakers (17 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): In addition to their 14 players with guaranteed salaries, the Lakers are also carrying Dwight Howard, Devontae Cacok, and Demetrius Jackson. I’d be shocked if anyone but Howard claims the 15th roster spot, but we’ll see what the team’s plans are for Cacok and Jackson. Theoretically, each of them could be converted to a two-way contract, but current two-way players Zach Norvell Jr. and/or Kostas Antetokounmpo would have to be waived in that scenario.
Minnesota Timberwolves (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Timberwolves have 15 players with guaranteed salaries, leaving Tyrone Wallace and his non-guaranteed contract as the most likely odd man out. If Minnesota decides to keep Wallace, it would need to trade or release a player with a guaranteed deal.
Utah Jazz (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Jazz have four players without fully guaranteed salaries, but two of those players – Royce O’Neale and Georges Niang – are presumably locks to stick around. Utah’s decision figures to come down to Stanton Kidd vs. William Howard. Kidd $250K partial guarantee is more substantial than Howard’s $50K, which may help give him the upper hand.

It’s possible that a few more teams will make roster changes today, but the league’s other 23 clubs are currently at or below the regular-season maximum.

Isaiah Thomas' Status For Season Opener Unknown

October 20th, 2019 at 6:53pm CST by JD Shaw

Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas participated in a full practice Saturday and hopes to play in Wednesday’s season opener against Dallas, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, head coach Scott Brooks isn’t ready to commit on a potential Thomas return just yet. “I’d love to have him for the first game,” Brooks said on whether Thomas would play. “We’ll see. Probably not, but we’ll see.”

Wizards Waive Pasecniks, Jones

October 19th, 2019 at 2:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards have waived center Anzejs Pasecniks and forward Jalen Jones, the team’s media relations department tweets.

Both players were recently signed to Exhibit 10 contracts and will likely wind up with the team’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

Pasecniks, a seven-footer from Latvia, was acquired by the Sixers on draft night in 2017 after he was selected with the 25th overall pick by Orlando. He played overseas the last two seasons for the Spanish team Gran Carania. Philadelphia renounced his NBA rights, clearing a path for him to join the Wizards for Summer League play.

Jalen Jones, a 6’7″ forward out of Texas A&M, has appeared in 32 total games for the Pelicans, Mavericks, and Cavaliers over the last two seasons. He was waived from his two-way contract with Cleveland in January and finished the 2018/19 season with Baskonia in Spain.

Jordan McRae and Justin Robinson are likely to get the last two roster spots now that Pasecniks and Jones have been waived, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. McRae’s veteran minimum salary includes a guarantee of $600K if he’s on the opening night roster. His $1.6MM contract would fully guarantee if he’s still on the Wizards through December 20th.

Robinson’s $988K contract doesn’t become fully guaranteed until January 10th. Robinson, a 6’2” guard, was signed in July after going undrafted out of Virginia Tech.

Guard Chris Chiozza will likely receive the team’s other two-way contract, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets. Chiozza was signed to a training camp deal last month. The Wizards’ other two-way player is guard Garrison Mathews.