Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards, Bucks, Wolves Among Teams Exploring Roster-Trimming Trades

October 19th, 2024 at 11:28am CST by Tristan Tucker

With teams finalizing rosters ahead of Monday’s cut-down deadline, there could be a flurry of activity from teams exploring avenues to keep players on crowded rosters. According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link), several luxury tax teams are exploring moving off salary in an effort to keep other players they like.

While the Wizards aren’t a luxury tax team, they’re one of the many teams looking to make a move before Monday’s roster deadline. As NBA insider Jake Fischer reports (Threads link), the Wizards want to keep Jared Butler around on the 15-man roster. Butler is on a non-guaranteed contract, which made him a release candidate, but he played well in the preseason, averaging 6.8 points and 4.2 assists in 14.3 minutes per game across five outings.

That could lead the Wizards to explore trading or even cutting former No. 10 overall pick Johnny Davis, according to Fischer. The Wizards aren’t expected to exercise Davis’ fourth-year option and while he hit a clutch shot in Friday’s preseason finale, he struggled this preseason and through his two NBA years with shooting efficiency.

However, outright cutting Davis would mean not being able to use his $5.3MM salary to help facilitate trades later down the road. It’s possible Washington agrees to a bigger trade before the beginning of the regular season or considers waiving another player.

As we outlined earlier today, it’s important to note that while most teams will make cuts Saturday, that’s not really an issue for the Wizards. The main wave of cuts today are mostly going to be non-guaranteed contracts and since teams like the Wizards cutting guaranteed salary would be eating dead money anyway, they have until Monday’s deadline to come to a decision.

We have more trade rumors from around the league:

The Bucks have informed rival teams of early interest in trading third-year wing MarJon Beauchamp, according to Fischer (Threads link). Beauchamp was the 24th overall pick in 2022 by the Bucks, so their willingness to move him is noteworthy. Across his first two seasons in the league, he’s averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 rebounds. While Fischer suggests the Bucks could be looking to acquire a defensive-minded wing, Smith notes via Twitter that Milwaukee has also expressed interest in re-signing Thanasis Antetokounmpo — moving Beauchamp without taking a player back would open up that opportunity. Antetokounmpo is expected to miss the season while recovering from an Achilles tear, so signing him would be for his locker room presence, which Smith says is “prized” by both the franchise and his brother Giannis.
The Timberwolves have looked into trade options for recently acquired forward Keita Bates-Diop, according to Fischer (Threads link). Bates-Diop was rerouted a couple of times this summer, going from the Nets to the Knicks in the Mikal Bridges trade before landing with Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster. Bates-Diop is set to make just under $2.7MM this season and with the Wolves already about $17MM over the second tax apron, they’d prefer to move off his salary rather than eating it. Moving Bates-Diop is also about finding a way to keep PJ Dozier on the roster. The Wolves have 15 players on guaranteed salaries, plus Dozier on a partially guaranteed deal. Dozier is a favorite of president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.
Celtics guard Lonnie Walker IV‘s Exhibit 10 status is noteworthy, as he was seen as a bargain signing by the reigning champions at the time, but they have tight finances as a team well over the second apron. Still, Walker’s impressive preseason puts Boston in an interesting position, and Fischer indicates the Celtics have considered keeping him around. If they retained Walker through the season and made no other changes, Boston would have to make approximately $9MM in projected tax payments on top of Walker’s minimum-salary contract due to their position against the second apron. However, that amount isn’t calculated until the end of the season, so the Celtics may explore trading Jaden Springer as late as February’s trade deadline so they can keep Walker, Fischer reports.
[UPDATE: The Celtics are waiving Walker.]
The Pistons may be the primary contact for any team looking to make salary- or roster-trimming trades, Smith notes (Twitter link). The Pistons have an open roster spot and $10.2MM in cap space, putting them in position to accommodate players like Davis, Beauchamp, Bates-Diop or Springer if their teams were willing to attach draft capital.

Wizards Sign RayJ Dennis To Two-Way Deal

October 19th, 2024 at 11:07am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 19: Dennis’ deal with the Wizards is now official, per a press release from the team. Washington didn’t confirm which player was waived to open up a spot for Dennis, but will likely announce one or more cuts at some point today.

OCTOBER 18: The Wizards have reached an agreement on a two-way contract with undrafted rookie guard RayJ Dennis, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

A fifth-year super-senior at Baylor in 2023/24, Dennis averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game across 35 contests (all starts). His shooting line was .479/.328/.731.

The 6’2″ guard also played for Boise State for two seasons and Toledo for two more before transferring to Baylor. He earned Mid-American Conference Player of the Year honors in 2023 with Toledo and made the All-Big 12 second team in 2024.

Dennis was part of the Clippers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with L.A. last month. He was waived last week after appearing in one preseason game and seemed on track to end up with the San Diego Clippers in the G League. Instead, it appears he’ll open the regular season as part of the Wizards’ 18-man roster.

With Justin Champagnie and Tristan Vukcevic on two-way deals, Washington had one two-way slot open. However, the team is currently at its preseason limit of 21 players, so someone will need to be waived to make room for Dennis. That shouldn’t be an issue, since the Wizards’ non-guaranteed camp invitees will likely be cut this weekend.

Kuminga, Suggs, Giddey Among Extension Candidates Seeking $30MM+ Annually

October 19th, 2024 at 10:43am CST by Tristan Tucker

The deadline for teams to sign players to rookie scale contract extensions falls on Monday and will force several clubs to make tough decisions.

The Warriors have two players under consideration for rookie scale extensions: Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. As we relayed Friday evening, Moody appears more likely than Kuminga to receive an extension by Monday. Moody is in line to receive minutes at the wing spot in the wake up Klay Thompson‘s departure, and NBA insider Jake Fischer reports he could earn more than $10MM per season on his extension (Threads link).

However, Kuminga is seeking a near-max contract that would pay him north of $30MM annually. According to Fischer, the Warriors have “never seemed intent” on paying the forward that kind of money ahead of the season. That tracks with earlier reporting, which suggested that both sides are content to wait to see if Kuminga takes another step forward in 2024/25 and helps propel the team back into contention as its second- or third-best player. In that scenario, he would presumably be rewarded in restricted free agency next offseason.

Moody averaged 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season while Kuminga broke out, averaging 16.1 PPG on 52.9% shooting from the field.

We have more on this year’s rookie scale extension candidates:

According to Fischer, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson is facing a similar situation to Kuminga. However, there’s “far more optimism” that the Hawks and Johnson will finalize a deal worth north of $30MM each year, which is said to be the starting point for negotiations with the former Duke standout. Johnson broke out in a big way last season, jumping from 5.6 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 2022/23 to 16.0 PPG and 8.7 RPG. He’s primed to be a long-term fixture in Atlanta as one of the Hawks’ franchise cornerstones.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs is seeking an extension worth more than $30MM annually in talks with Orlando, NBA insider Marc Stein reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether or not Orlando is prepared to make that sort of offer, but Suggs emerged as one of the best defensive guards in the league last season, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team, averaging 12.6 PPG and 1.4 SPG, improving his outside shooting to 39.7%, and helping the young Magic to a 47-win season.
Immanuel Quickley‘s five-year, $162.5MM contract with the Raptors is said to have set a benchmark for young guards across the league, Fischer says, confirming previous reporting. Bulls guard/forward Josh Giddey is also seeking at least $30MM per year on his next extension. However, the Bulls are more interested in seeing how Giddey fits with the team before committing that kind of money to him. Chicago traded Alex Caruso for Giddey in June.
The Rockets haven’t been willing to this point to approach a maximum-salary deal for either Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun, according to Fischer. We relayed Friday that the Rockets have held productive conversations with both players, submitting offers to each, but that those offers were below the max. Fischer indicates that Houston is completely fine with not agreeing to terms with either before the year begins.
Clippers guard Bones Hyland and Nets young players Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe are not expected to agree to terms on a rookie scale extension, according to Fischer. However, there remains some optimism that Hornets guard Tre Mann, Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson and Wizards wing Corey Kispert will be able to sign extensions by Monday’s deadline.
Quentin Grimes has emerged as a real candidate to receive an extension by Monday, according to Stein (Twitter link). Grimes was acquired by the Mavericks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason and he’s averaged 8.5 PPG across three NBA seasons. His deal would presumably be in the ballpark of Moody’s, perhaps a bit more than $10MM per year.

Southeast Notes: KCP, Black, Gibson, Hornets, Wizards

October 16th, 2024 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic haven’t been major players in free agency in recent years, having focused on building through the draft and re-signing their own players. However, they made a rare splurge over the summer, signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a three-year, $66MM contract.

Head coach Jamahl Mosley is pleased with the way Caldwell-Pope is fitting in with the team this fall, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). The two-time champion has immediately established himself as a leader who isn’t afraid to offer guidance to the Magic’s rookies and veterans alike.

“He does it in such subtle ways,” Mosley said. “We do drills every day with recognizing spacing on the floor, and he’s constantly talking to our wings about filling the corners. Why? Because it’s so important to keep that corner filled because it gives the other guys room to operate and play. He does it by example but then he’s going and having individual conversations with guys about the importance of the ‘why’ you do it.”

Besides providing veteran leadership and championship experience, Caldwell-Pope will provide much-needed floor spacing for an Orlando team that ranked second-last in the NBA in three-point attempts per game (31.3) last season.

“It just helps having more shooting out there,” Magic forward Franz Wagner said of his new teammate. “Having someone that has played a lot of important games, knows defenses, can talk the different coverages and give us pointers. … So we’re more organized out there.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Magic guard Anthony Black had a solid rookie season in 2023/24, establishing himself as a member of the rotation by making 33 starts and averaging 16.9 minutes per game in 69 outings. With Markelle Fultz no longer on the roster, Black is poised to take over more point guard duties in his second NBA season and his teammates believe he’s ready for that challenge, as Beede outlines for The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). “He looks a lot better,” forward Paolo Banchero said. “Just from year one to year two, you can tell he’s way more comfortable out there. He has a lot more command of himself and others on the court.”
New Hornets big man Taj Gibson is providing the kind of veteran presence the team has lacked in recent years, says Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte is carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Gibson on a partially guaranteed deal, but the expectation is that the club will find room for him on the 15-man regular season roster. Head coach Charles Lee said the Hornets are “so grateful” to have the 39-year-old around. “I can see why he’s such a popular guy,” Lee said. “He’s such a phenomenal person. I think he’s added a lot to our locker room. From a human standpoint, I think that his professionalism brings another level of structure and routine, and the guys have a ton of respect for him because of what he has accomplished as a player.”
In a separate story for The Charlotte Observer, Boone takes a look at the new, state-of-the-art practice facility the Hornets are building across the street from Spectrum Center. The city of Charlotte is providing $30MM for the project, with team ownership expected to cover the remaining costs.
Some minor preseason injuries have given Wizards head coach Brian Keefe the opportunity to experiment with new lineup combinations in the weeks leading up to the season, according to Varun Shankar of The Washington Post, who notes that Keefe has deployed a different starting five in each of the team’s past three games.

And-Ones: Harrell, Parity, Projections, Season Previews

October 14th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

After reaching a deal in September with the Adelaide 36ers to join the team as a short-term replacement for injured forward Jarell Martin, veteran big man Montrezl Harrell is now in advanced talks with the Australian club to sign a rest-of-season contract that would allow him to stick around after Martin returns, reports Olgun Uluc of ESPN.

According to Uluc, the 36ers and Harrell’s agent have been talking for the past few weeks about a possible full-season deal, and the expectation is that the two sides will get something done. If they do, the 36ers will have to deactivate a local player in order to keep Harrell active.

The NBA’s former Sixth Man of the Year is off to a strong start in Adelaide, averaging a double-double (15.7 points, 10.3 rebounds) during his first five games in Australia’s National Basketball League. While Harrell is interested in returning to the NBA, there’s a sense that’s more likely to happen in February or March after the NBL season ends, Uluc explains.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

When the Celtics won the NBA title in the spring, they became the sixth different team in the last six years to claim a championship. That’s just the second time in league history that has happened, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who takes a closer look at the current era of NBA parity, exploring why it happened and what it means going forward.
John Hollinger of The Athletic previews the season for the seven teams he projects to finish at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, from the Wizards at No. 15 to the Hawks at No. 9. Using his BORD$ formula, Hollinger forecasts just 14 wins for Washington, seven fewer than any other team in the conference. He also has the Pistons moving up to 11th place, with the Raptors claiming the second play-in spot at No. 10.
Zach Kram of The Ringer previews the coming season by sharing one defining statistic for all 30 teams, such as 23.4 for the Thunder (the average age of their roster) and 31.2 for the Nuggets (their three-point attempts per game last season, last in the NBA).
Tim Bontemps of ESPN identifies 10 individuals who will help define the 2024/25 season, ranging from players like Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns to front office executives such as Calvin Booth of the Nuggets and Mike Dunleavy Jr. of the Warriors. Bontemps’ list also includes a top prospect (Cooper Flagg), an analyst (Charles Barkley), and a head coach (J.J. Redick), among others.

Wizards Sign Mouhamadou Gueye, Cut Erik Stevenson

October 14th, 2024 at 7:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards made a minor change at the back of their roster on Sunday, signing free agent forward Mouhamadou Gueye to an Exhibit 10 contract and waiving guard Erik Stevenson, according to the team (Twitter links).

Gueye, who went undrafted out of Pitt in 2022, saw his first NBA action last season after joining the Raptors on a 10-day deal in February and a two-way contract in March. He appeared in 11 games down the stretch for Toronto, averaging 2.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 10.9 minutes per contest.

In 39 Showcase Cup and regular season outings for the Raptors 905 – Toronto’s G League affiliate – Gueye averaged 14.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.6 BPG in 31.0 MPG, making 56.1% of his shots from the floor but just 49.5% of his free throw tries.

Stevenson, meanwhile, was just under contract with the Wizards for a few days after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the team last week. He didn’t appear in Friday’s preseason game vs. Toronto and appears ticketed for the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s NBAGL team.

The Go-Go acquired Gueye’s returning rights from the 905 in a trade last month, so he’ll likely be waived before the season begins and report to Capital City as well. If Gueye and Stevenson spend at least 60 days with the Go-Go, they’ll earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $77.5K apiece.

Having also signed center John Butler Jr. and forward Taylor Funk to Exhibit 10 contracts on Sunday, the Wizards are carrying the maximum allowable 21 players on their preseason roster.

Wizards Sign John Butler Jr., Taylor Funk To Exhibit 10 Deals

October 13th, 2024 at 10:53am CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards have added center John Butler Jr. and forward Taylor Funk on Exhibit 10 contracts, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Washington still has a two-way slot open, but both players appear likely to wind up with the team’s Capital City Go-Go affiliate in the G League, where they will be eligible for bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they remain there for 60 days.

Butler, 21, started last season on a two-way contract with the Wizards, but was waived in early December. He joined Capital City, where he averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 regular season games. Butler has previous NBA experience with Portland, appearing in 19 games during the 2022/23 season, and he was a member of the USA’s 3×3 U23 Men’s National Team that competed in Mongolia this summer.

Funk, 26, also played for the Go-Go last season after being acquired in a December trade with the Maine Celtics. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Boston last September, but was waived before the start of training camp. Funk averaged 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 34 regular season games with Capital City.

Butler and Funk will fill the openings created Saturday when Kira Lewis and Leaky Black were waived, and their signings will bring the Wizards back to the offseason roster limit of 21 players.

Wizards Waive Kira Lewis, Leaky Black

October 12th, 2024 at 8:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards opened two spots on their training camp roster by waiving point guard Kira Lewis and small forward Leaky Black, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Lewis, 23, was selected by the Pelicans with the 13th pick in the 2020 draft, but he was never able to earn a rotation spot during his three-plus years in New Orleans. That was partly due to injuries, including a torn ACL during the 2021/22 season. Lewis was traded three times last season, going to the Pacers, Raptors and Jazz, and he became a free agent in late June when Utah declined to submit a qualifying offer.

Black, 25, signed a two-way contract with Charlotte last summer after going undrafted out of USC. He appeared in 26 games for the Hornets, but spent much of the season with the Greensboro Swarm in the G League. Black’s two-way deal covered two seasons, but Charlotte waived him at the beginning of August.

Lewis and Black were both in camp on Exhibit 10 contracts, so they’ll have the opportunity to earn bonuses worth $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

The moves leave the Wizards with 19 players on their roster, two short of the offseason limit.

Kyshawn George Impressive In First Start

October 12th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rookie guard Kyshawn George made his first preseason start Friday and responded with nine points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, per Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. At 6’8″, George has the size to play several positions, but Shankar notes that he looked comfortable running the Wizards‘ offense. “I just try to read the defense and trust my teammates to be at the right spot at the right moment,” George said. “And it’s just on me to make the right read and make the play.”

Southeast Notes: Daniels, Hawks, Martin, Hornets, Sarr

October 12th, 2024 at 1:58pm CST by Rory Maher

In his Hawks debut on Tuesday vs. Indiana, third-year guard Dyson Daniels looked like he could form a solid partnership next to Trae Young, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hawks acquired Daniels from New Orleans this offseason in the Dejounte Murray trade.

Known for his strong defense, the 21-year-old Australian recorded 14 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) and three assists in 22 minutes. Daniels is a former lottery pick, having been selected No. 8 overall in the 2022 draft.

“Dyson did a lot of good things,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “I thought defensively, we’ve talked about his presence on the court defensively. But, I thought he made the game simple. He made the right pass when someone was open, he passed to them. He moved without the ball when he needed, and he was spaced. It’s such an elusive thing to talk about spacing all the time, but if you’re not spaced, it’s hard to play together. Dyson does all those things. He does them intuitively, and he’s committed to them, and as a result, he’s someone that makes his team better.”

Here’s more from the Southeast:

If the Hawks want to improve their 36-46 record from last season, a good place to start would be to perform better in clutch situations, particularly on the defensive end, Williams writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think having clarity down the stretch, and the biggest thing is getting stops,” Snyder said Thursday. “It’s hard to score late in an NBA game. You have to make shots (and) sometimes those shots are more contested. The way to score is to get stops and to score in transition. One thing that will be important for us is there’s a mindset where you can continue to attack, and there’s also a mindset where not one player has to do that.”
Hornets wing Cody Martin has been sidelined by a variety of injuries over the past two seasons, having played just 35 games over that span. He’s currently dealing with a sprained right wrist and laceration on his thumb, but he’s confident he’ll be back soon, even if he doesn’t know exactly when it will be, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “Just a basketball play,” said Martin. “It’s unfortunate. I’m optimistic. I’m good. I’m just trying to figure it out for now and making sure that we are all on the same page going forward. But I’m in good spirits to be honest with you. I’m staying even-keeled.”
LaMelo Ball and Josh Green were held out of the Hornets‘ preseason game vs. Memphis on Thursday, but neither player is injured, according to Boone. “We’ve played a lot of basketball so far,” said head coach Charles Lee. “We did training camp on the road at Duke and so there’s going to be a couple of guys when you’re playing a three-in-five that we’re going to be mindful of their minutes.”
Josh Robbins of The Athletic spoke to a handful of NBA scouts from rival teams to get an idea of what talent evaluators think of No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr. All of the scouts believe the Wizards‘ rookie big man will need time to develop, and most are bullish on his defensive upside. “The biggest thing is his mobility and motor, his ability to run the floor and switch and contain on the perimeter as well as be someone who can protect the rim,” one scout said.