- 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.”
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.
- Wizards first-round selection Rui Hachimura is likely to be in the starting lineup for the season opener, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets. Coach Scott Brooks said he was “leaning the way.” Hachimura averaged 10.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 21.9 MPG during the preseason.
Bradley Beal‘s decision to sign a two-year contract extension with the Wizards on Thursday surprised many NBA observers, since Beal could have potentially signed a more lucrative contract in a year or simply chose not to extend his stay with his rebuilding franchise. Speaking to reporters, including David Aldridge of The Athletic, the All-Star shooting guard explained why he opted to sign the new deal, which will lock him up through at least the 2021/22 season.
“I guess legacy at the end of the day,” Beal said. “This is where I’ve been for the last seven years, going on eight. I have an opportunity to be able to turn this thing around. A lot of people doubt that. I view it as a challenge. I view it as something that I feel a lot of D.C. sports have been a part of, rebuilding something and kind of building them into championship-caliber teams. Why not me? Why kind of sell myself short of a great opportunity that I have in my hands right now?”
While the extension is a big win for the Wizards and new general manager Tommy Sheppard, it’s worth noting that Beal only tacked on one guaranteed season to his current deal, so his commitment to the organization isn’t as long-term as it could have been.
One person with knowledge of Beal’s thinking tells Aldridge that the 26-year-old is “giving [Sheppard] a chance now that he’s in charge.” If the Wizards don’t show real progress in the next year or two, it’s still possible that Beal will have second thoughts about whether he wants to remain in D.C. long-term.
Here’s more on Beal’s new deal:
- Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington hears that Sheppard and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, along with other Wizards executives, flew to Chicago last month to meet with Beal and agent Mark Bartelstein. Beal had the opportunity at that meeting to ask questions about the franchise’s direction. “I just felt comfortable with where we were going,” Beal said. “I talked to Ted and they kind of projected the future and gave me the layout of what we can do in the future.”
- Fred Katz of The Athletic explores how Beal’s extension affects the Wizards’ rebuilding process, noting that having the two-time All-Star under contract for at least the next three years gives the team some extra security to be patient with its roster moves.
- Ben Golliver of The Washington Post digs into what the extension means to Sheppard, a first-time general manager who was placed in a tough situation.
- The Heat were known to be one team that would have serious interest in Beal if the Wizards changed course and decided to trade him, but that will no longer be an option for Miami, at least during the 2019/20 season, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.
9:10pm: Dixson has been waived, as our own JD Shaw relays (Twitter link).
3:52pm: The Wizards are expected to waive Dixson before their preseason game on Friday, tweets Katz. The team plans on him starting the season with the Go-Go.
3:09pm: The Wizards are back up to 20 players, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has signed forward Dikembe Dixson to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Dixson, who went undrafted out of UIC in 2018, started his professional career in Lebanon before returning stateside. He appeared in 12 G League games in 2018/19, averaging 5.3 PPG and 1.3 RPG in just 9.4 minutes per contest for the Windy City Bulls and Capital City Go-Go.
The Wizards’ G League affiliate holds Dixson’s returning rights and appears set to bring him back for the coming season. By signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Washington, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Go-Go.
The Wizards made three cuts on Wednesday, but have already filled those three roster spots by signing Dixson, Jalen Jones, and Anzejs Pasecniks.
12:35pm: The extension is official, according to a tweet from the Wizards.
7:42am: The Wizards have reached an agreement on a two-year contract extension for All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, the deal will be worth just shy of $72MM, the maximum amount the team could offer.
Beal’s current contract pays him approximately $27.1MM in 2019/20 and $28.75MM in 2020/21. His new extension will start at 120% of his ’20/21 salary, which works out to a $34.5MM figure for 2021/22. According to Wojnarowski, Beal’s 2022/23 salary ($37.26MM) will be a player option.
In total, the Wizards’ star will be in line to earn about $127.6MM over the next four years — or he could opt out and hit the free agent market after three seasons, when he’d have 10 years of NBA experience under his belt and would qualify for a maximum salary worth 35% of the cap.
“This will allow him to do another deal while he’s potentially in his prime,“ Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein said of the extension, per Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link).
The Wizards first offered Beal a three-year, $111MM+ contract extension back in July, but the 26-year-old indicated he wanted to take his time and evaluate the team’s direction under its new management group before making any decisions. As Wojnarowski points out, Beal’s decision to re-up with Washington – even on a short-term extension – represents a “spectacular victory” for team owner Ted Leonsis and new general manager Tommy Sheppard.
“Brad has always made it clear to me, that in a perfect world, he would never leave Washington,” Bartelstein told ESPN. “He has felt an obligation to be the focal point in turning the Wizards into an elite team. He’s thrilled about all the resources that Ted is pouring into the franchise and thrilled how committed (Leonsis) and Tommy are to building something special.”
Wojnarowski reported last week that the Wizards were willing to do an extension for Beal “in any form” he wanted, and it appears the team stuck to that promise. Besides being a one-plus-one extension rather than a three-year deal, Beal’s new contract also features as 15% trade kicker and a 50% advance on his 2021/22 and 2022/23 salaries once the extension begins, as Bobby Marks of ESPN details.
Perhaps most importantly, signing this extension will make Beal ineligible to be traded for the 2019/20 season. Contract extensions that exceed the league’s extend-and-trade limits ensure that a player can’t be traded for six months, so by the time Beal becomes eligible to be dealt, the February trade deadline will have passed.
Teams around the NBA had viewed Beal as the most likely star player to become disgruntled and become a trade candidate in the coming months, given the Wizards’ lottery expectations for the ’19/20 campaign. However, Washington insisted throughout the offseason that the former Florida Gator was unavailable. Clubs hoping to make a run at Beal will have to wait until at least the summer of 2020 to try to change the Wizards’ minds.
Beal, who has played all 82 games and made the All-Star team for two consecutive seasons, had a career year for the Wizards in 2018/19, averaging 25.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 5.0 RPG with a shooting line of .475/.351/.808. He also played an NBA-high 36.9 minutes per contest.
While Beal may not lead the league in minutes again in 2019/20, he’ll be leaned on heavily once more with star point guard John Wall expected to miss most or all of the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
Speaking of Wall, he and Beal both now have guaranteed contracts for the next three years, with player options for 2022/23. In 2021/22 – the final guaranteed season for the star guards – they’ll be earning nearly $79MM combined.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Who will be the starter at small forward for the Wizards when the regular season opens up one week from today? According to the candidates laid out by Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, the race is down to three – Isaac Bonga, Admiral Schofield, and Jordan McRae – after Justin Anderson was waived earlier today.
With Bradley Beal and Ish Smith set in the backcourt and rookie first-rounder Rui Hachimura and big man Thomas Bryant likely to start up front, it’s down to Bonga, Schofield, or McRae to join that foursome in the starting lineup with both Troy Brown Jr. and C.J. Miles out injured.
“It’s still open,” head coach Scott Brooks said. “We got a lot of guys that are fighting for opportunities and, like I said, it’s not just talk — it’s wide open. Especially with all of the injuries, it’s really wide open.”
As Buckner notes, the Wizards should really opt to go with Bonga or Schofield if they are serious about a youth movement. But McRae is a scrappy veteran used to fighting for a roster spot, so it will be interesting to monitor the small forward position moving forward in Washington.
There’s more from the Wizards:
- As Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes, the Wizards’ best chance to improve on defense lies with the aforementioned Bryant. The 22-year-old youngster hasn’t been much of a rim protector previously, but he possesses some natural abilities that suggest he has the potential to become one. Said Bryant, “I have to be one of those guys to make a big difference. A big man can be the anchor for the defense. I have to take that responsibility to heart every day, whether it’s in practice or the game.”
- In another piece for NBC Sports Washington, Hughes relays that injured point guard John Wall suffered another infection after his Achilles surgery that delayed him getting out of his walking boot. “For me to be where I’m at right now, with all the setbacks and infections and then finding out my Achilles was ruptured and then going through another infection, it was like ‘man, when can I ever get past that point of just getting out of the boot and walking?'”
- And in yet another article, Hughes writes how Wall is embracing his role as an assistant coach while out injured. Wall says this season will give him an idea of whether he wants to get into coaching someday. “I think this year will tell me whether I can be a coach or not… I think you have to have a lot of patience and you’ve gotta know how to interact with every player. Every player’s attitudes and character and mood swings are totally different. I learned from when a coach tried to coach me when I was young and I wasn’t the guy to coach.”
1:23pm: The Wizards have officially signed Pasecniks, the team announced today in a press release. Washington also confirmed the signing of Jalen Jones, which we noted in a separate story. The club has waived Justin Anderson, Jemerrio Jones, and Phil Booth, leaving 19 players on the roster.
11:12am: The Wizards have reached an agreement to sign former first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks, sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’ll be an Exhibit 10 deal, Katz adds (via Twitter).
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. However, he continued his career overseas for the last two seasons, playing for Spanish team Gran Carania.
The 23-year-old was interested in coming stateside this year, but was seemingly no longer in the Sixers’ plans, having initially been acquired by the team’s old Bryan Colangelo-led regime. Philadelphia renounced his NBA rights, generating some extra cap room and clearing a path for him to join the Wizards for Summer League play.
Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington reported last month (via Twitter) that Pasecniks was expected to play for the Capital City Go-Go in the G League this season. Signing him to an NBA contract will ensure that the Wizards can designate him as an affiliate player, while the Exhibit 10 clause will make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Go-Go.
Washington currently has a full 20-man roster, so the team will have to make a cut to create an opening for Pasecniks.
After reporting earlier today that the Wizards are signing Anzejs Pasecniks, Fred Katz of The Athletic has the details on several more roster moves made by the team. According to Katz (Twitter links), Washington has waived Justin Anderson, Jemerrio Jones, and Phil Booth, using one of the newly-opened roster spots to sign Jalen Jones to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Booth, an undrafted rookie out of Villanova, is expected to join the Capital City Go-Go – the Wizards’ G League affiliate – for training camp later this month, per Katz. It’s not clear what the next steps will be for Anderson and Jones.
Anderson, the 21st overall pick in the 2015 draft, spent last season with the Hawks, recording 3.7 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 48 games (9.6 MPG). He averaged 9.8 PPG with a .385 3PT% in four preseason games for Washington, though his most memorable moment came when he mixed it up with Marcus Morris, goading the Knicks forward into a Flagrant 2 foul and an ejection.
Jemerrio Jones, meanwhile, was one of three Wizards players acquired from the Lakers as part of the three-team Anthony Davis blockbuster. He played limited minutes in three preseason contests for the club. Jones received a partial guarantee worth just under $200K as a result of his inclusion in the Davis deal, so Washington will have to keep that dead money on its cap this season.
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 back in January and finished the 2018/19 season with Baskonia in Spain.
With three players released and two signed, Washington would have 19 players under contract, leaving one opening on its preseason roster.
The 2019/20 NBA regular season will get underway in just six days, which means it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.
With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.
Having already looked at the Atlantic, Northwest, Central, and Pacific, we’re moving onto the Southeast today…
Miami Heat
- 2018/19 record: 39-43
- Over/under for 2019/20: 43.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Jimmy Butler, Meyers Leonard, Tyler Herro, KZ Okpala
- Lost: Josh Richardson, Dwyane Wade, Hassan Whiteside, Ryan Anderson, Yante Maten
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Heat poll.
Orlando Magic
- 2018/19 record: 42-40
- Over/under for 2019/20: 41.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Al-Farouq Aminu
- Lost: Timofey Mozgov, Jerian Grant, Jarell Martin
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Magic poll.
Atlanta Hawks
- 2018/19 record: 29-53
- Over/under for 2019/20: 33.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Hawks poll.
Washington Wizards
- 2018/19 record: 32-50
- Over/under for 2019/20: 26.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Davis Bertans, Ish Smith, Rui Hachimura, Moritz Wagner, Isaiah Thomas, C.J. Miles, Isaac Bonga, Admiral Schofield
- Lost: Bobby Portis, Tomas Satoransky, Jabari Parker, Trevor Ariza, Jeff Green, Dwight Howard, Sam Dekker, Chasson Randle
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Wizards poll.
Charlotte Hornets
- 2018/19 record: 39-43
- Over/under for 2019/20: 23.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Terry Rozier, PJ Washington, Cody Martin
- Lost: Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, Tony Parker, Frank Kaminsky, Shelvin Mack
Trade Rumors app users, click here for Hornets poll.
Previous voting results:
- Philadelphia 76ers (54.5 wins): Over (54.9%)
- Boston Celtics (49.5 wins): Under (57.0%)
- Toronto Raptors (46.5 wins): Under (59.1%)
- Brooklyn Nets (43.5 wins): Over (58.3%)
- New York Knicks (27.5 wins): Under (54.9%)
- Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (51.8%)
- Utah Jazz (53.5 wins): Under (50.8%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (46.5 wins): Over (78.7%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (35.5 wins): Under (57.5%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (32.5 wins): Under (55.1%)
- Milwaukee Bucks (57.5 wins): Over (63.5%)
- Indiana Pacers (46.5 wins): Over (56.6%)
- Detroit Pistons (37.5 wins): Over (69.8%)
- Chicago Bulls (33.5 wins): Under (56.2%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (24.5 wins): Under (70.0%)
- Los Angeles Clippers (54.5 wins): Over (53.9%)
- Los Angeles Lakers (51.5 wins): Over (50.3%)
- Golden State Warriors (48.5 wins): Over (54.3%)
- Sacramento Kings (38.5 wins): Over (66.2%)
- Phoenix Suns (29.5 wins): Under (61.8%)