Wizards Notes: Beal, Wall, Burke, Satoransky

September 29th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal will have to go through the NBA’s concussion protocol after taking an elbow to the head Wednesday, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Beal was held out of action today and won’t be cleared to play until he goes through the “return-to-participation protocol.” Coach Scott Brooks called the injury a mild concussion that happened when Ian Mahinmi accidentally hit Beal in the head. Still, it’s the second concussion in eight months for Beal and one more injury concern for a player the Wizards signed to a five-year, $128MM maximum contract over the summer. Beal has missed 25% of his games during his first four years in the NBA and was placed on a minutes restriction last season after doctors discovered “the beginnings of a stress reaction” in his lower right fibula.

There’s more from the Wizards’ camp:

Still recovering from offseason surgery on both knees, point guard John Wall is hoping more backcourt depth will lighten his workload, Buckner writes in a separate story. Washington swung a deal with Utah this summer for Trey Burke, who entered camp as Wall’s likely backup. Wall hopes his addition will mean more rest during a long season. “A lot of times in the past I was playing 40, 42 minutes and the whole second half … wearing my body down,” Wall said. “With a better second unit that we’ll probably have, we’re a more complete team, I probably won’t have to be out there as much. I think that will help with how I take care of my body and how we play as a team.”
Wall confirmed that he is ahead of his rehab schedule as he tries to be ready for the October 27th season opener, relays J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Wall has been participating in about 70% of practices, but has been sitting out five-on-five drills. “I’m leaving it all up to the doctors and the trainers,” Wall said. “As long as I can get through this week, and get through the more practices we have and through the preseason, we’ll have to sit back and wait and see. Hopefully I will be [ready for the opener]. That’s my ultimate goal, but I’m not trying to rush it.”
Tomas Satoransky has been the surprise of camp so far, Michael writes in a separate piece. The 6’7″ Czech rookie guard agreed to join the Wizards over the summer on a three-year, $9MM deal and has impressed teammates with his vertical leap and knowledge of the game. “I’d seen a couple highlights of him playing,” said Otto Porter, “but actually getting out here playing with him to actually be on his team? One time I was cutting through, he hit me on the back of the shoulder [with the ball]. I wasn’t looking for it. I was like, ‘OK, this kid knows how to play.’”

Nuggets Notes: Arthur, Chandler, Murray

September 28th, 2016 at 8:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

September 27th, 2016 at 10:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

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, 2016 at 7:58am CST by Eddie Scarito

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.

Casper Ware, Johnny O'Bryant Get No Guarantees

September 23rd, 2016 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Wizards camp invitees, Johnny O’Bryant and Casper Ware, signed one-year, non-guaranteed summer contracts with the team, tweets Pincus.

Brooks Unsure About Wall's Status

September 22nd, 2016 at 9:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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 21st, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

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

September 21st, 2016 at 10:36am CST by Eddie Scarito

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

Bradley Beal —$22,116,750
John Wall —$16,957,900
Ian Mahinmi —$15,944,154
Marcin Gortat —$12,000,000
Markieff Morris —$7,400,000
Andrew Nicholson —$6,088,993
Otto Porter —$5,893,981
Jason Smith —$5,000,000
Trey Burke —$3,386,598
Tomas Satoransky —$2,870,813
Kelly Oubre —$2,006,640
Marcus Thornton —$980,431 [Actual Salary — $1,315,448]
Martell Webster —$833,334 [Waived via Stretch Provision]
Jarell Eddie —$175,000
Danuel House —$100,000
Daniel Ochefu —$50,000
Sheldon McClellan —$50,000

Total Guaranteed Salary= $101,854,594

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Jarell Eddie —$805,431 [Salary Fully Guaranteed On Opening Night]
Johnny O’Bryant — $980,431 [Salary Fully Guaranteed On 1/10/17]
Casper Ware — $874,636 [Salary Fully Guaranteed On 1/10/17]
Sheldon McClellan —$538,471 [Salary Fully Guaranteed On 1/10/17]
Daniel Ochefu —$493,471 [Salary Fully Guaranteed On 1/10/17]
Danuel House —$443,471 [Salary Fully Guaranteed On 1/10/17]

Total Non-Guaranteed Salary= $4,135,911

Eligible for Rookie Scale Extension

Trey Burke
Otto Porter

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

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

Payroll Exceptions Available

Room Exception — $2,898,000

Total Projected Payroll: $105,945,505

Salary Cap: $94,143,000

Estimated Available Cap Space: –$11,802,505

Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000

Amount Below Luxury Tax: $7,341,495

Last Updated: 10/1/16

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Wizards Won't Rush Wall

September 14th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

September 11th, 2016 at 4:47pm CST by Will Joseph

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.

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