Wizards Rumors

Nuggets Notes: Arthur, Chandler, Murray

Darrell Arthur received offers from three teams in free agency, but took less to stay with the Nuggets, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The eighth-year forward said he was contacted by the Wizards, Clippers and Spurs, but decided to accept a three-year, $23MM offer to remain in Denver. Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he appreciates Arthur’s loyalty. “Free agency came around, he told his agents, ‘Listen, get it done with Denver. I don’t even want to talk to anyone else,'” Malone said. “He left millions of dollars on the table because he believes in what we’re doing. That makes you feel really good because Darrell Arthur is about all the right things.”

There’s more tonight out of Denver:

  • After a difficult year away from the game, Wilson Chandler is happy to be back in camp, Dempsey writes in a separate piece. Chandler is finally healthy enough to play after missing all of last season while recovering from hip surgery. The 6’8″ swingman is expected to improve Denver’s perimeter defense and help fill the rebounding void left when Joffrey Lauvergne was traded to Oklahoma City. “He’s a guy that when you look at it, checks more boxes than anybody else with everything he brings to the table,” Malone said. Chandler has three seasons and $36MM left on the extension he signed last summer.
  • The Nuggets are working on versatility with first-round pick Jamal Murray, Dempsey writes in another story. The 6’4″ rookie was a natural shooting guard at Kentucky last season, but Malone wants him to be able to handle either backcourt position. “We’re going to have him play on the ball and off the ball, he’s got to learn all the spots on the floor,” the coach said. “That’s what a good point guard should do anyway. We’ve often talked about the allure of Jamal is that he is a versatile player. He’s going to be fine. He’s a smart kid. He cares. And we have plenty of coaches to help him, if he has any questions in terms of the offense.”

Wall, Beal Discuss Relationship

During the Wizards‘ media day on Monday, John Wall walked back his comments from August when he told reporters that he and teammate Bradley Beal “have a tendency to dislike each other on the court,” Candace Buckner of The Washington Post writes. “Whenever you have your two best players and they both want the game-winning shot and they want those types of plays, you’re going to have disagreements on the court. But other than that, we’re fine,” Wall told the media. “We talk. We’ve talked about it. We’re both two grown men. Everybody wants us to dislike each other. No, we don’t dislike each other. It’s just at times any team that has two great players [or] players who want to be great, we’re going to have disagreements from time to time.

Wizards Sign Johnny O’Bryant

SEPTEMBER 24th: The signing is official, per the RealGM transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 10th: The Wizards have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent Johnny O’Bryant, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The terms of the deal are unknown, but with Washington well over the cap, it is almost assuredly for the league minimum. The team does still possess its mid-level exception, but it would be surprising if it was used in this case.

The 23-year-old will have his work cut out for him to make the regular season roster, though, he should at least have a legitimate shot to make it to opening night given the team’s current roster composition. The addition of O’Bryant will give the Wizards a preseason roster count of 17, but only 12 of those contracts possess full guarantees. Washington does not have its own D-League affiliate, so designating O’Bryant as an affiliate player is not an option should he fail to make the final cut.

O’Bryant appeared in 66 games for the Bucks in 2015/16, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the campaign was .411/1.000/.675.

Brooks Unsure About Wall's Status

  • Wizards coach Scott Brooks is uncertain about point guard John Wall’s status for the start of training camp, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. Brooks is unsure when Wall, who underwent two knee operations during the offseason, will be cleared for five-on-five contact. “He’s improving,” Brooks told Buckner. “His body looks great [but] his conditioning is going to be behind. Once you step into an NBA practice, the level goes way up. Especially in a training camp situation where you have guys trying to make it, guys trying to fight for minutes, trying to fight for starting jobs, but we have to make sure [about Wall] because that’s when things can go sideways.”

Wizards Ink Casper Ware To Camp Deal

SEPTEMBER 21: Approximately a month after agreeing to terms with him, the Wizards have officially signed Ware, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log.

AUGUST 18: The Wizards have agreed to a contract with unrestricted free agent Casper Ware, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post reports (on Twitter). The scribe labels it as a training camp deal, which means it likely includes little or no guaranteed money. Washington is well over the cap, so it is likely for the league minimum salary, though, the team does still have its Room Exception available, but it would be surprising if that was used in this instance.

Washington already has 16 players under contract, including 12 possessing full guarantees on their deals, so Ware certainly has his work cut out for him to make the regular season roster. He’ll be competing with Trey Burke, Tomas Satoransky and Marcus Thornton for a spot on the bench.

Ware, who last appeared in the NBA during the regular season in 2013/14 with the Sixers, spent this past campaign overseas where he split time between Tianjin Ronggang (China) and ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne (France). In 31 combined games, the guard averaged 15.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 27.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .394/.354/.793.

Salary Cap Snapshot: Washington Wizards

With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. They will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Wizards’ team page accessible here.

Here’s a breakdown of where the Wizards currently stand financially:


Guaranteed Salary

Total Guaranteed Salary= $102,337,716


Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]

Cash Received Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]


Payroll Exceptions Available


Total Projected Payroll: $102,337,716

Salary Cap: $94,143,000

Estimated Available Cap Space: $8,194,716

Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000

Amount Below Luxury Tax: $10,949,284

Last Updated: 3/3/17

The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.

Wizards Won't Rush Wall

The Wizards aren’t going to push John Wall to be ready for opening night, writes Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic.com. The 26-year-old point guard had surgical procedures on both knees during the offseason, and the team is being careful with his recovery. “We’re in no rush,” said new Washington head coach Scott Brooks“We want to make sure that he’s ready. It’s a process. We still have all of training camp. We’ll see. We’re going to keep working, keep pushing him. The one thing about John. He puts the work in.” Wall has started playing one-on-one, but he still has to make progress before he can handle training camp drills or five-on-five games.

Wizards Notes: Wall, Beal, Dudley

Wizards coach Scott Brooks does not believe the team has any continuity issues, especially as it pertains to stars Bradley Beal and John Wall, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post relays. Both players had recently spoke of on-court chemistry issues, but, despite that, Brooks said he only sees two competitive players. Brooks, of course, has experience in dealing with superstars on the same team, having just left Oklahoma City.

“There’s a lot of things I’m worried about going into camp, and every coach in this league is worried about. That is not one of them,” Brooks said. “I haven’t even talked to our assistant coaches about it. Will I meet with each player individually? Yes. Will I meet with the team? Yes. Will I meet with the positions together? Yes. But I don’t see our team having a problem with chemistry.”

Here’s more out of Washington:

  • The departure of Jared Dudley, who signed a three-year pact with the Suns, will be felt by the Wizards this season because of his veteran leadership in the locker room, J Neuharth-Keusch of USA TODAY Sports writes. Dudley was a dependable contributor as a stretch-four and shot a team-high 42.0% from 3-point range in his only season with Washington, as Neuharth-Keusch points out.
  • Unsurprisingly, the X-factor for the Wizards this season, Neuharth-Keusch writes in the same piece, is Bradley Beal. After missing chunks of time throughout his career because of several injuries, Beal again will be counted on to remain healthy and lead Washington. He is locked in to a long-term contract, as Neuharth-Keusch notes.

Standig: Could Celtics' Roster Crunch Help Wizards?

As we noted earlier today, the Celtics are among the small group of NBA teams that currently has more than 16 guaranteed contracts on the books for 2016/17. Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic.com, pointing out that the Wizards could use some depth on the wing, wonders if a Boston player like Gerald Green could appeal to Washington. Of course, since Green just signed a new contract this summer, he’d have to be waived for the Wizards to have an opportunity to add him to their opening-night roster — he’s not trade-eligible until December 15.