Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Unlikely To Use Disabled Player Exception

January 11th, 2019 at 5:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Even if the Wizards are granted an $8.6MM disabled player exception, they’re more likely to sign players to 10-day contracts than use that exception, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Washington applied for the exception due to John Wall‘s season-ending heel surgery.

The Wizards’ cap issues make it unlikely they’d find a free agent enticing enough to sign for the remainder of the season by using a portion of the exception. The Wizards inked point guard Ramon Sessions to a pair of 10-day contracts last season before signing him for the rest of the season, Hughes notes.

Roster Notes: Wizards, Suns, Blazers, More

January 11th, 2019 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

Early to mid January is a period of flux for a number of NBA rosters, as teams navigate two key deadlines.

All full-season contracts officially became guaranteed on Thursday, after a handful of clubs beat the deadline earlier this week and released players on non-guaranteed contracts to avoid having those cap hits lock in.

The next deadline arrives on January 15, which is the last day of the 2018/19 league year for teams to sign players to two-way contracts. After that day, teams can waive players on two-way deals, or convert them to standard contracts, but they can’t add anyone new on a two-way pact.

With those factors in mind, here are a few teams to keep an eye on within the next week or two:

Washington Wizards:

Having waived Ron Baker on Monday, the Wizards dipped down to 13 players on standard contracts. Teams are permitted to carry fewer than 14 players for up to two weeks at a time, so Washington will have until January 21 to sign or acquire a player to fill that slot.

It’s unlikely that the Wizards will guarantee that 14th player a rest-of-season contract, unless there’s someone they really love. A series of 10-day contracts is more likely, particularly before the February 7 trade deadline arrives.

Phoenix Suns:

The Suns are in a similar spot to the Wizards, with just 13 players on full-season standard contracts. However, Phoenix already filled its 14th roster slot by signing by signing Quincy Acy on Monday.

Still, Acy received a 10-day deal which will expire after next Wednesday, so the Suns are on track to have their roster count drop back to 13 players soon. They’ll have to eventually re-sign Acy or add someone new to the roster in order to get back to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players on standard deals.

Portland Trail Blazers:

In one of 2018/19’s under-the-radar roster oddities, the Trail Blazers have kept both of their two-way contract slots open all season. Portland doesn’t have its own G League affiliate, so perhaps the franchise views two-way players as unnecessary if they’re not contributing to the NBA team — so far, the club hasn’t been short-handed enough to need those extra contributions.

The club’s unsettled ownership situation could also be a factor here. Two-way players are very inexpensive in relative terms, but they still represent two more player salaries that need to be paid. Longtime Blazers owner Paul Allen passed away in 2018, so perhaps the front office hasn’t felt the need to ask ownership for the money for those two extra salaries.

Nonetheless, with Tuesday’s deadline for two-way signings fast approaching, it would be a surprise to see the Trail Blazers leave both spots open for the rest of the season. It could make sense for Portland to sign a player or two with some NBA experience, who could contribute down the stretch if necessary.

New York Knicks / New Orleans Pelicans:

The Knicks and Pelicans are currently the only two other NBA teams with two-way contract openings — they each have one. I’d expect both clubs to fill those slots by the January 15 deadline, though their priorities may be different.

The Pelicans – like Portland – don’t have their own affiliate and may prefer a player capable of helping out right away rather than a raw prospect, given their position in the standings. The Knicks, on the other hand, have their nearby Westchester affiliate at their disposal for developmental purposes. And given their current focus on developing prospects, even at the NBA level, it would be in the club’s best interests to bring aboard another young player for that two-way opening.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/10/19

January 10th, 2019 at 9:02pm CST by JD Shaw

Here are Thursday’s NBA G League assignments and recalls from across the league:

The Wolves recalled Keita Bates-Diop from their G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, announcing the news on social media today. Bates-Diop has averaged 17.8 points and 8.9 rebounds in 16 games with Iowa this season.
The Wizards assigned rookie Troy Brown Jr. to the Capital City Go-Go, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. Brown Jr. has averaged 18 points per contest on 49% shooting with the Go-Go.
The Jazz assigned then later recalled Grayson Allen to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a tweet from their PR department. Allen will miss Friday’s game against the Lakers with an ankle injury.
The Magic have recalled Melvin Frazier Jr. from the G League, announcing the move on social media. Frazier Jr. was drafted by Orlando with the No. 35 pick last June.
The Warriors assigned Jacob Evans lll to the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the club announced in a press release. Evans lll has appeared in 21 games with Golden State this season and was drafted 28th by the team last June.

Wizards Apply For Disabled Player Exception

January 9th, 2019 at 6:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards have applied for an $8.6MM disabled player exception in the wake of the heel surgery that will keep point guard John Wall out for the rest of the season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Teams are permitted to seek the exception to replace a player who becomes seriously injured. An NBA-designated doctor must determine that the player is likely to be sidelined through June 15, but there’s little doubt in the case of Wall, who is projected to be out of action for six to eight months.

Clubs that receive the DPE can normally sign a replacement for up to 50% of the injured player’s salary, but it is capped at the level of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, notes Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). That’s why the Wizards are limited to the $8.6MM figure, even though Wall makes more than $19MM this season.

The DPE doesn’t allow teams to expand their rosters, but that’s not presently an issue for Washington, which has 13 players, one below the league minimum, after waiving Ron Baker on Monday. The Wizards have two weeks to re-add a 14th man.

Wall was released from the hospital today, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. He played just 32 games this season, posting a 20.7/3.6/8.7 line.

Wizards Weighing Options For Open Roster Spots

January 9th, 2019 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

After waiving Ron Baker earlier this week, the Wizards now have two open spots on their 15-man roster and will need to fill at least one of those two openings soon. Head coach Scott Brooks said on Tuesday that the club is exploring its options, with power forward and point guard among the positions that could be fortified (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington).

Wizards Exploring Extension For Tomas Satoransky

January 9th, 2019 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are making a push to sign Tomas Satoransky to a contract extension before he reaches restricted free agency in July, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, who hears from sources that the two sides have engaged in preliminary talks.

The interest in a new deal appears to be mutual, as Hughes reports that Satoransky is open to remaining with the Wizards long-term. Although the 27-year-old is in just his third NBA season and is still on his first contract, he technically signed a “veteran” contract as a former second-round pick rather than the rookie contract signed by first-rounders. That means he’s eligible to sign an in-season extension.

Satoransky, the 32nd overall pick in the 2012 draft, has developed into a reliable contributor for the Wizards over the course of 171 regular season games. Although he has primarily served as a backup point guard, Satoransky has taken on a starting role in each of the last two seasons due to John Wall‘s health issues.

Overall this season, Satoransky has averaged 7.0 PPG, 3.1 APG, and 2.4 RPG with a .495/.397/.813 shooting line in 41 games (21.6 MPG). Those numbers have increased to 10.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 3.4 RPG on .509/.429/.714 shooting in his 15 starts.

A player who signs a veteran contract extension is permitted to earn a starting salary worth up to 120% of the player’s previous salary of 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary, whichever is greater. Since Satoransky is making just $3.13MM this season, he could get a starting salary worth up to approximately $10.6MM (120% of the estimated average salary) if he’s extended. Such a deal would max out at about $47.5MM over four years.

Spencer Dinwiddie signed a version of that extension last month, though Dinwiddie’s new contract is for just three years (and $34.4MM), rather than four. Of course, the Wizards – who already have $111MM+ on their books for 2019/20 – are under no obligation to offer Satoransky a full $10.6MM starting salary in an extension, so the actual terms would be a matter of negotiation. If the two sides can’t find common ground, Washington will need to issue a qualifying offer to Satoransky this summer to make him a restricted free agent.

Wizards Waive Ron Baker

January 7th, 2019 at 11:09am CST by Arthur Hill

Ron Baker‘s stay in Washington turned out to be a short one as the Wizards waived him today, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. His contract would have become fully guaranteed if he had remained on the roster past 5pm Eastern today.

It’s the second trip to the waiver wire in less than a month for Baker, who was waived by the Knicks on December 13. He joined the Wizards eight days later. Baker played four games for Washington, but didn’t score a point despite averaging 11.3 minutes per night.

The move leaves Washington with just 13 players on its roster. At least one more will have to be added by January 21 to get the team back to the NBA’s 14-player limit.

The Wizards will have a $170,915 cap hit on Baker’s salary and now face an $8.66MM luxury tax bill, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). However, the tax number will increase when an extra player is added.

And-Ones: Trade Deadline, Goodwin, Watson, Williams

January 4th, 2019 at 8:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There probably won’t be significant activity prior to the trade deadline, according to Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter links). The biggest trades this season may have already occurred, one source told Smith, because teams are intent on preserving salary-cap space for 2019. Still, some expiring contracts could be moved and there’s always a possibility that a team “might get desperate” and do something bold, the same source suggested.

A front-office member from another team believes many of the trades coming before the deadline could be motivated by trying to stay below the luxury-tax line, even if it results in a talent downgrade. However, that executive also believes that there should be more sellers in a month than there are now. “Some of us will get real about our chances and start moving guys,” the source said to Smith.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Guard Archie Goodwin has returned to the United States to join the G League’s Maine Red Claws, the team announced in a press release. Goodwin most recently played in the NBA during the 2016/17 season, when he appeared in a combined 15 games with New Orleans and Brooklyn. The shooting guard played his first three seasons with Phoenix. The Red Claws acquired his returning player rights in a trade prior to the season. Goodwin lost his roster spot with China’s Zhejiang Golden Bulls to former Spurs guard Brandon Paul in late December.
Lakers guard and former UCLA star Lonzo Ball has endorsed former Suns coach Earl Watson to be the Bruins’ next coach, Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times report. UCLA recently fired Steve Alford and replaced him on an interim basis with assistant Murry Bartow. “I know Earl personally,” Ball said. “I think he has coaching experience in the league. Obviously, he went there, he’s alumni, so I think he’s a good fit.”
Veteran big man Alan Williams is in advanced talks with China’s Xinjiang Flying Tigers, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Williams was waived by the Nets this week to allow him to pursue the overseas opportunity. He was on a two-way deal after getting released by the Suns during the offseason. Williams was playing well in the G League but did not make an appearance with Brooklyn.
Forward Okaro White, who was waived by the Wizards last month, has signed with the G League’s Long Island Nets, according to NetsDaily.com. Long Island acquired his G League rights last year. The Nets are not using their available two-way slot on White, according to the report. White made three appearances with Washington this season.

Five Non-Guaranteed Contract Situations To Watch

January 4th, 2019 at 7:06pm CST by Luke Adams

While non-guaranteed NBA contracts don’t technically become fully guaranteed until next Thursday, Monday is really the day to watch. Because players have to clear waivers before January 10 to avoid having their salaries locked in for the rest of 2018/19, a team will have to release a player by January 7 at the latest to avoid guaranteeing his contract.

As our list of non-guaranteed contracts by team shows, there are a number of players around the NBA who don’t have fully guaranteed deals, though many are in no danger of being waived by Monday. It’s not as if the Sixers are seriously considering whether or not to guarantee T.J. McConnell‘s minimum salary. Ditto for the Jazz and Royce O’Neale, and several others players on that list.

However, there are at least a handful of players worth keeping an eye on as Monday’s deadline nears. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of them:

Michael Carter-Williams, PG (Rockets): Most criticism of the Rockets‘ offseason moves has focused on Carmelo Anthony, but signing Carter-Williams hasn’t worked out for the team either. The former Rookie of the Year has fallen out of the rotation and looks like a potential trade candidate, as David Weiner of ClutchFans.net recently observed (via Twitter). His minimum salary only has a partial guarantee of $1.2MM, but the Rockets would have to eat that amount if they waive him — and would be on the hook for the associated tax penalty. By trading him and including some cash in the deal, Houston could eliminate his cap hit and reduce its projected tax bill, saving a little money. A trade partner would only be on the hook for about $500K of MCW’s salary if he’s waived immediately, and could more than make up that amount with the cash the Rockets sent their way.
Patrick McCaw, SG (Cavaliers): I don’t expect the Cavaliers to waive McCaw. He’s a young wing who has some upside, and Cleveland can afford to take a long look at him this season before making a decision on his non-guaranteed 2019/20 salary. Still, when the Cavs finalized his offer sheet last week, they also elected to make his first-year salary non-guaranteed, so they have an exit door for a few more days if they want it.
James Nunnally, G/F (Timberwolves): After thriving as a three-point marksmen in Europe, Nunnally appeared poised to contribute right away for a Timberwolves team in need of shooting. Instead, he has played just 61 total minutes for the club, primarily in garbage time. Nunnally is the only one of Minnesota’s 15 players on a non-guaranteed contract, so if the club wants to open up a roster spot for potential 10-day signings, he’d probably be the odd man out.
The Pelicans’ non-guaranteed players: No team has more players on non-guaranteed contracts than the Pelicans, who have yet to lock in full-season salaries for Jahlil Okafor, Tim Frazier, and Kenrich Williams. Okafor has played a regular role recently and Frazier was a frequent starter with Elfrid Payton sidelined, so Williams may be the player most at risk here. Since the Pelicans will likely try to be active on the trade market, opening a spot on their 15-man roster by waiving one of these three would create some added flexibility in those discussions.
The Wizards’ non-guaranteed players: With John Wall out for the season, the Wizards currently have two guards – Ron Baker and Chasson Randle – on non-guaranteed deals, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of them is cut by Monday. Although they’re carrying an NBA-minimum 14 players, the Wizards are allowed to dip down to 13 for up to two weeks at a time and did so earlier in 2018/19 to help keep their projected tax bill in check. It’s possible they’ll do so again now.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wizards Notes: Beal, Wall, Satoransky

January 4th, 2019 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have shown no inclination yet that they have any interest in moving star guard Bradley Beal, but a pair of reports have given a clue of what the team’s asking price would be if Beal becomes available.

Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweeted on Wednesday that he has heard the Wizards would seek something like two first-round picks, a “young asset,” and another player in exchange for Beal. Sean Deveney of Sporting News reported something similar today, citing sources who say that Washington would want “two players and two draft picks” for Beal.

Building a deal for Beal might be tricky, since both the players and picks would have to be pretty valuable for the Wizards to consider moving their leading scorer — plus, a potential trade partner would almost certainly have to match Beal’s $25.4MM salary without including any unwanted multiyear contracts. We’ll have to wait to see if any club makes a viable offer to the Wizards in advance of next month’s trade deadline.

Here’s more out of D.C.:

In a column for The Athletic, David Aldridge compares the current Wizards to the 2015 Raptors, who were unceremoniously swept out of the first round by Washington. Despite calls to break up their roster, those Raps worked on surrounding Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan with more talent, and built a perennial 50-win contender. Given their salary commitments, the Wizards may have a hard time taking the same approach with Beal and John Wall, but Aldridge believes it’s possible.
Within that same article, Aldridge argues that the Wizards should make an effort to keep Wall’s minutes in check next season – and beyond – as they try to keep him healthy. That’s why re-signing RFA-to-be Tomas Satoransky is “a must, not a choice” in the offseason, per Aldridge.
As they did last season, the Wizards figure to make a concerted effort to move the ball around as much as possible on offense with Wall sidelined, writes Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington. Standig points to Wednesday’s win over Atlanta, in which the Wizards racked up 29 assists on 43 field goals, as a prime example of that approach. “We’re definitely going to miss [John] and hate that he’s out. Definitely not saying that we’re a better team without him. That’s far from the truth,” Beal said after Wednesday’s win. “But reality is reality. We have to accept the fact that [John] won’t be with us this year and do our best to make a run at it.”
With Markieff Morris set to be sidelined until at least mid-February, the Wizards will have to make some tough roster decisions before the February 7 trade deadline, as Standig details in a separate NBC Sports Washington story.