Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Trading Wagner, Bonga, Jones To Wizards; AD Waiving Trade Kicker

June 27th, 2019 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have found a way to maximize their projected cap room for free agency, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is sending Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Jemerrio Jones to the Wizards as part of the Anthony Davis trade. Additionally, Davis has agreed to waive his $4MM trade kicker, per Wojnarowski.

As a result of those developments, the Lakers will be able to generate just over $32MM in cap room based on the projected $109MM cap. That’s more than enough space for a maximum salary for a player with less than seven years of NBA experience ($27.25MM), and puts them in the ballpark of the max for a player in the 7-9 year range ($32.7MM).

Here’s how the Lakers’ moves will work once the July moratorium lifts on July 6:

Prior to completing the Davis deal, the Lakers will have approximately $32MM in cap room after accounting for eight players, the cap hold for the No. 4 pick, and three empty roster charges. The team will use that room in free agency, with ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweeting that L.A. is still considering whether it will commit all that money to a single star or split it up among two or three players.

If the Lakers go after a single star, D’Angelo Russell and Kawhi Leonard are among the presumed targets. According to Wojnarowski, players like Danny Green, Terrence Ross, and Seth Curry could be among the club’s targets if it breaks up its cap space.

Once that space is used up, the Lakers will complete its agreements with the Pelicans and Wizards as part of a single three-way trade. In order to acquire Davis, whose salary is $27,093,018, the Lakers will have to send out at least $21,594,415 in total to meet salary-matching requirements as an over-the-cap team. They’ll do so with the following contracts:

To Pelicans:
- Lonzo Ball ($8,719,320)
- Brandon Ingram ($7,265,485)
- Josh Hart ($1,934,160)
To Wizards:
- Moritz Wagner ($2,063,520)
- Isaac Bonga ($1,416,852)
- Jemerrio Jones

Jones’ salary is non-guaranteed, which means it currently counts for $0 for salary-matching purposes. Without it, the Lakers would fall just under $200K shy of the salary they need, since the unsigned No. 4 pick would also count for $0 for matching purposes (draftees who sign rookie contracts can be used for salary matching, but can’t be traded for 30 days). As such, according to Marks (via Twitter), Jones’ salary will be partially guaranteed for $199K, allowing the Lakers to meet the necessary outgoing-salary threshold.

The Wizards, who will use trade exceptions to take on the incoming players, will also receive the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. In order to officially make it a three-team deal – and to incentivize the Pelicans to sign off – Washington will send $1.1MM in cash to New Orleans, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. That’s the minimum amount necessary to satisfy the “touch” rules in a three-team trade, tweets Marks.

While the Lakers’ motivation for the deal is obvious, it’s not a bad arrangement for the Wizards either. As an over-the-cap team, Washington didn’t have many other avenues to add talent this offseason, and have several rotation players facing free agency.

The Wizards will now get a chance to take fliers on Wagner and Bonga while also picking up a future second-round pick. They had interest in Wagner leading up to the 2018 draft, according to Wojnarowski, who tweets that the big man will get an opportunity in D.C.

In other Davis-related news, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports that LeBron James has agreed to give up his uniform number (No. 23) to AD in an effort to make the big man as comfortable as possible in Los Angeles. Davis is “extremely grateful,” Haynes adds. It’s not clear yet which number James will wear in 2019/20, but he was No. 6 during his years with the Heat.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Tomas Satoransky, Bobby Portis Receive Qualifying Offers

June 26th, 2019 at 10:10pm CST by clarkcrum

10:10pm: The Wizards are not tendering qualifying offers to Dekker or Chasson Randle, tweets Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington. They’ll become unrestricted free agents.

9:29pm: Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports and Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington are reporting that the Wizards have extended qualifying offers to guard Tomas Satoransky and forward Bobby Portis just hours after also tendering a QO to center Thomas Bryant.

The qualifying offers for Satoransky ($3,911,484) and Portis ($3,611,813) are similarly affordable to Bryant’s QO ($3,021,354), so it comes as no surprise that Washington has made all three young players restricted free agents this summer.

Hughes also notes that while forward Sam Dekker has not yet been extended a qualifying offer by the team, they have until June 29 to make a final decision. His QO is similar in amount ($3,916,575) to the three aforementioned players.

Satoransky, 27, took on a larger role later on in the 2018/19 season after starting point guard John Wall went down with injury. He ended up averaging a career-best 8.9 PPG and 5.0 APG while starting 54 games.

Portis, 24 and a former first-round pick of the Bulls, also had a career season in Washington after being traded from Chicago before the trade deadline. He ended up starting 22 of the 28 games he played for the Wizards, and posted 14.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and a .458/.403/.809 shooting line.

Wizards Extend Qualifying Offer To Thomas Bryant

June 26th, 2019 at 7:27pm CST by clarkcrum

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Wizards have extended a qualifying offer to big man Thomas Bryant, thereby setting him up to be a restricted free agent this summer.

Bryant, still just 21, had a breakout campaign in Washington last season after being waived by the Lakers last summer. Largely capitalizing on injuries to Dwight Howard and other front court veterans for the Wizards, Bryant appeared in 72 games (53 starts) in 2018/19 while recording 10.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, and a .685/.333/.781 shooting line in 20.8 minutes per contest.

Because he reached starter criteria last season, Bryant’s qualifying offer will be worth just over $3MM, equal to the amount of the qualifying offer the 21st overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft (Hawks swingman Justin Anderson) would have been eligible to receive had he signed for 100% of the rookie scale instead of 120%.

Re-signing Bryant is a priority for the Wizards this summer, as we touched upon when we passed along the news of Jabari Parker‘s team option being declined.

Mannix’s Latest: Celtics, Brogdon, Lakers, Favors, Ross

June 26th, 2019 at 5:16pm CST by Luke Adams

With Kyrie Irving and Al Horford expected to sign elsewhere and Aron Baynes having been re-routed to Phoenix, the Celtics have the ability to create about $25.8MM — or up to $34MM-ish if they renounce Terry Rozier.

As Chris Mannix of SI.com notes in his latest look at free agency, Kemba Walker has been linked to the Celtics this week, but he’s not the only free agent the club is considering. According to Mannix, Boston has internally discussed the possibility of pursuing Bucks RFA-to-be Malcolm Brogdon.

There has also been speculation about Bradley Beal as a potential trade target for the Celtics, but that probably won’t be an option, according to Mannix, who notes that Beal (a favorite of team owner Ted Leonsis) has been told by the Wizards that he won’t be dealt. Even if Beal were available, there’s a feeling in Boston that it might take Jayson Tatum to acquire him, Mannix adds.

Here’s more from Mannix:

The Lakers have shopped their “spare parts” in trade discussions, but talks have gone nowhere so far, league sources tell Mannix. Presumably, Mannix is referring to Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Jemerrio Jones, who would have to be rolled into the Lakers’ Anthony Davis blockbuster for the club to maximize its cap room.
While it seems likely that he’ll be back, the Jazz haven’t necessarily locked in on retaining Derrick Favors, who has a non-guaranteed $17.65MM contract. Mannix suggests that Nikola Mirotic could be a name worth keeping an eye for Utah on if Favors is released to create cap room.
The Magic have been “steadfast” in their desire to re-sign top free agents Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, and some within the organization are anxious to see what their market value will be, writes Mannix. Ross may be a candidate to receive a big contract offer from a team in need of a three-and-D wing, according to Mannix, who speculates that the sharpshooter could command $15MM per year.

Charania’s Latest: CP3, Klay, Harris, RHJ, Randle, More

June 26th, 2019 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

League sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that Chris Paul never demanded a trade from the Rockets, but suggested at season’s end that he’d understand if the club decided to go in a different direction. According to Charania, Houston told Paul it remained committed to him, and he has reciprocated that commitment.

While Paul and James Harden haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, Charania hears that the two Rockets guards have been communicating since the season ended and had a positive conversation on Father’s Day.

Even if the Rockets wanted to move Paul, there would likely be no market for him, as the Rockets discovered when they quietly gauged his value in recent weeks, Charania writes.

Charania’s latest round-up at The Athletic includes several other noteworthy tidbits on 2019’s upcoming free agent period, so let’s pass along some highlights…

The Warriors and Klay Thompson will meet in Los Angeles at the start of free agency, per Charania. While Charania – like ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski – has heard that Thompson could speak to the Clippers if talks with Golden State break down, the Warriors and Thompson’s camp expect a quick agreement if the team puts a five-year, maximum-salary offer on the table.
After Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer named the Clippers as a possible suitor for Tobias Harris, Charania says the same thing, noting that the two sides still have a good relationship. Charania also adds the Pelicans – who now have significant cap room – to the list of teams expected to express interest in Harris.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who didn’t receive a qualifying offer from Brooklyn, is expected to draw interest from the Suns, Timberwolves, and Rockets as an unrestricted free agent, reports Charania.
The Bulls, Knicks, and Nets are viewed as potential suitors for Julius Randle, sources tell Charania.
Teams in need of some help at the point guard spot – including the Suns, Bulls, Wizards, and Kings – have shown interest in Cory Joseph, says Charania.
If the Knicks miss out on their top free agent targets, they’ll plan on trying to sign “high-level rotation players” to one- or two-year deals, according to Charania, who suggests that Celtics RFA-to-be Terry Rozier may be one target.

Wizards Unlikely To Match Big Offer Sheet For Portis

June 26th, 2019 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards aren’t expected to match a huge offer sheet for Bobby Portis, who has generated interest from multiple teams already, sources tell Tony Jones and Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jones also repeats a number that has been previously reported, indicating that Portis is seeking an annual salary of up to $16MM.

Beal Interested In Extension, Not Expecting Trade

June 25th, 2019 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last week indicated that the Wizards will likely offer Bradley Beal a three-year contract extension later in the offseason. On Monday night, Beal told Ben Golliver of The Washington Post that he’s “definitely” open to discussing such an extension, which would begin in 2021/22 and projects to be worth about $111MM.

“I have thought about it, but I haven’t really full-out processed it,” Beal said, per Golliver. “I still have two years left. We just drafted Rui [Hachimura] and I want to see what we do in free agency before I make the ultimate decision. I haven’t even been offered it officially. Until that happens, I’ll wait and think about it. I’ll have an ample amount of time to process everything and make a decision when the time is right.

“I’d be naive to say I wouldn’t be [interested in extension talks],” Beal continued. “Washington is where I’ve been the last seven years, going on eight. It would be great to play in one place forever. But at the same time, you want to win and make sure you’re in a position to do so. I’m definitely going to evaluate who we hire as the GM and who we pick up on the team. All that plays a factor.”

For the time being, Tommy Sheppard continues to serve as the interim general manager for the Wizards, whose owner Ted Leonsis indicated recently that the club won’t hire a new head of basketball operations prior to free agency. As Golliver relays, Beal trusts Sheppard to “run the show until Ted makes his decision,” but with the Wizards’ front office still in state of flux, it makes sense that the All-Star guard isn’t ready to make any long-term commitments quite yet.

Given the Wizards’ place in the lottery last season, Beal’s name has frequently come up in speculation about potential trade candidates, but he tells Golliver that he has been told separately by Leonsis, Sheppard, and head coach Scott Brooks in recent weeks that he’s not going anywhere.

“They’ve been very transparent and that’s been great,” Beal said. “They’re not keeping me in the dark about anything, even about the trade rumors. . . . It’s great having that peace of mind.”

Meanwhile, Beal’s backcourt mate John Wall, who continues to recover from surgery on his torn Achilles, will begin jogging in about two weeks, he told Chris Miller of NBC Sports Washington on Monday night.

“I’m able to move, do ladder steps, doing those types of things,” Wall said. “Just taking my time and progressing and letting everything heal the right way so I don’t force myself back and get another injury.”

Details On Draft-Night Trade With Sixers

June 25th, 2019 at 9:10am CST by Luke Adams

In exchange for Jonathon Simmons and the No. 42 pick, the Sixers acquired $2MM in cash from the Wizards, according to Pincus, who adds (via Twitter) that Washington didn’t require Simmons to pass a physical.

Rui Hachimura Already A Star; Sheppard Poised To Replace Grunfeld?

June 23rd, 2019 at 3:59pm CST by clarkcrum

Regardless of how well Wizards newly-drafted rookie forward Rui Hachimura performs in the NBA moving forward, he’s already a superstar in his home country of Japan, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.

Hachimura, the first ever Japanese-born lottery pick in the NBA, has a rabid following that was on display Friday when the 21-year-old Gonzaga product was introduced by the Wizards. Per Hughes, there were over 40 members of the Japanese media in attendance from over 20 outlets, all excited for the opportunity to be a part of Hachimura’s press conference.

“I’m used to it. This is kind of small,” Hachimura joked about the media attention at the Wizards’ press conference. “When I was in Japan, there were couple of press conferences like this and there were more people.”

Because of his unique situation, Hachimura has the chance to be the most marketable player on the Wizards as a rookie, John Wall and Bradley Beal included. He already has endorsement deals with Air Jordan and Nissin Food Products, and one Japanese reporter even went as far as opining that Hachimura could be as big as MLB star Ichiro Suzuki one day. The Wizards certainly hope so.

Columnist Jerry Brewer of The Washington Post opines that the Wizards will likely end up promoting from within and hire interim head of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard as Ernie Grunfeld‘s replacement.

Wizards To Decline $20MM Option On Jabari Parker

June 22nd, 2019 at 4:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards won’t exercise their $20MM team option on Jabari Parker, but they may try to re-sign him, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The move has been expected, dating back to when Washington traded for Parker in February, Haynes adds. But he cites “mutual interest” between Parker and the team in working out a longer arrangement once he becomes an unrestricted free agent next weekend. The Wizards view him as a player with potential whose development has been slowed by ACL tears in 2014 and 2017.

Parker’s asking price will start at $15MM per year, sources tell Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, and that number could rise or fall depending on the market. He adds that the Wizards will probably need Parker to relax that demand, especially after drafting Rui Hachimura, who has similar talents. Re-signing Thomas Bryant, Tomas Satoransky and possibly Bobby Portis will be higher priorites, according to Hughes.

Parker, 24, had a difficult time in Chicago after signing a two-year, $40MM deal last summer, especially once Jim Boylen replaced Fred Hoiberg as head coach. However, Parker was much better after the trade, averaging 15 points and 7.2 rebounds in 25 games with Washington.