The Wizards have agreed to sign big man Skal Labissiere to a 10-day contract, agent Daniel Hazan tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
A first-round pick in 2016, Labissiere appeared in 148 regular season games from 2016-19 for Sacramento and Portland, averaging 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per night.
The former Kentucky standout subsequently spent several years out of the NBA, playing in the G League and Puerto Rico before earning another shot with the Kings last season. He appeared in four games with the club while on a 10-day deal last March, seeing his first NBA action in over five years.
Labissiere returned to the G League this fall and has been playing very well for Washington’s affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. In 26 total games, he has averaged 19.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 2.1 assists in 31.0 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .554/.441/.857.
The Wizards have been carrying an open spot on their 15-man roster since making their two-for-one trade for Trae Young earlier this month, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to sign Labissiere. Assuming it gets finalized today, his 10-day deal will run through next Thursday (February 5), though the Wizards could cut it short early if they need that roster spot to accommodate a trade-deadline move.
Labissiere will earn $153,330 over the course of his 10-day contract, while Washington carries a cap hit of $131,970. If he’s signed ahead of Tuesday’s matchup vs. Portland, the 6’10” center could be active for up to six games for the Wizards before his deal expires.
Who would win a mythical 7gm series pitting the all-time Caribbean team (Duncan, Ewing, Horford, Buddy, VJ, Arroyo, etc) vs the all-time German team (Dirk, Detlef, Schröder, Franz, Theis, Kleber, etc)?
I wonder how much more he could make in NIL money if he went back to school and pulled a Bediako?