Wall Happy That Wizards Are Being Overlooked
- John Wall believes the Wizards may benefit from reduced media attention heading into next season, relays Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Even after adding Dwight Howard and Austin Rivers to a talented lineup, Washington isn’t being touted in the same class with the Celtics, Sixers and Raptors. “When we were that team that was flying under the radar, we came out and showed people what we was capable of,” Wall said. “Then, when we were the team that everyone was talking about and everyone had so much high expectations for, we kind of failed those expectations.”
Morris Twins Change Agents
Markieff Morris of the Wizards and Marcus Morris of the Celtics are preparing for free agency next summer by changing their representatives, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
Both players signed with Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, who is best known as the agent for LeBron James. Paul has a number of other high-profile clients, such as John Wall, Ben Simmons and Eric Bledsoe.
Markieff Morris has spent the past two-and-a-half seasons in Washington after being acquired in a trade at the 2016 deadline. A seven-year veteran, he will make $8.6MM in the final season of a four-year, $32MM contract.
Marcus Morris has also been in the league seven years and is coming off his first season in Boston after being traded there by the Pistons last summer. He has a $5.375MM salary for 2018/19 in the final season of a four-year, $20MM deal.
Wizards Notes: Leonsis, Howard, Bench, Wall
At $5.337MM, Dwight Howard was too much of a bargain to pass up, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis tells Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. That’s the figure Washington was able to sign Howard for after he was traded to the Nets this summer and agreed to a buyout.
“At that price, I think he was the greatest addition that we could add at that position,” Leonsis said. “Really, it all comes down to the salary cap. Dwight is paid like a max player. We are paying him the mid-level exception. … He’s at the time of his career where he’s been paid a lot of money. He’s still getting paid max money. With the buyout that [the Nets] are paying him, we’re paying him the mid-level exception.”
This marks the third straight offseason that Howard has changed teams, but Leonsis calls his perceived bad reputation a “media-generated issue.” Howard remains productive and durable at age 32, averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds in 81 games with the Hornets last season.
“He will be a great addition to the team,” Leonsis added. “He wants to be here. His skillset is what we needed; someone who can run, play defense and rebound.”
There’s more today out of the nation’s capital:
- Leonsis is thrilled about the offseason and gives team president Ernie Grunfeld an A for his performance in rebuilding the team, Hughes writes in a separate story. In addition to landing Howard, the Wizards added depth to their bench by trading for Austin Rivers, signing Jeff Green as a free agent and drafting Troy Brown. “I thought what Ernie did this offseason is exactly what we had planned,” Leonsis said. “I think when a season ends you sit down and see what you want to accomplish. For the Wizards, it was we need to have more balance and more depth and be more prepared for injuries.”
- Howard is responding to critics who contend his low-post style doesn’t fit in the modern NBA, Hughes notes in another story. Howard has posted Instagram videos of his offseason workout showing him shooting 3-pointers and jump shots off the dribble from the foul line.
- John Wall is upset about the lack of loyalty the Raptors showed to his friend DeMar DeRozan, Hughes relays in yet another article. DeRozan was shipped to San Antonio as the key piece in the Kawhi Leonard trade, allegedly after being promised by GM Masai Ujiri that he wouldn’t be dealt. “In my opinion, I don’t think there was loyalty shown on DeRozan’s part,” Wall said. “This is a business and you understand that. [But] if you talk to me man-to-man, then just be honest with me. We’re all grown men.”
Dwight Howard To Be At Team Minicamp, Per John Wall
- Per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, John Wall is confident that new Wizards teammate Dwight Howard will be in attendance at an informal (and presumably optional) team minicamp next week.
Message From John Wall Brought Dwight Howard To Washington
- John Wall showed off his recruiting skills by convincing Dwight Howard to come to the Wizards, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Howard wasn’t considering the Wizards as he was negotiating a buyout from the Nets, but an appeal from Wall changed that. “No lie, when I saw the message on Instagram, I really got so happy,” Howard said at his introductory press conference this week. “I was like ‘John just DM’d me, oh man this is crazy!’ After that, I really just started to put on my thinking cap. I just thought about all the possibilities. I was like ‘Man, this could be the best spot for me.'”
Dwight Howard Lifts Expectations In Washington
Expectations are rising for the Wizards after the addition of Dwight Howard, and team officials are happy to join in, writes Tyler Byrum of NBC Sports Washington. The Wizards were able to add Howard at a bargain price following his buyout with the Nets, giving him about $11MM over two years with a player option on the second season.
Wizards Notes: Howard, Chiozza, Green, Wall
Dwight Howard plans on retiring with the Wizards and believes he’s got a long way to go before the end of his career, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington relays. Howard was signed to a two-year deal worth approximately $11MM after being bought out by the Nets, who traded with the Hornets for his contract in a salary dump. Howard said during a press conference he anticipates playing “the rest of my career” with Washington. Howard, 32, also doesn’t see the finish line in sight. “For me, I plan on playing this game for another good eight years,” he said.
In other news regarding the Wizards:
- Guard Chris Chiozza, who played on the Wizards’ summer-league team, was one of the top undrafted rookies in Las Vegas, according to Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype. He averaged 7.4 APG and his assist percentage (40.1) was the second-best among all qualified rookies. The 6-foot Chiozza, who played four collegiate seasons at Florida, remains unsigned.
- Free agent signee Jeff Green believes the Wizards can make a run similar to the Cavaliers’ trip to the Finals last season, Hughes reports in another story. Green, a rotation player in Cleveland last season, signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with Washington. “Getting to the Finals and being part of that was beyond amazing,” he said. “With the experience and seeing what it took, I can bring that here and get everybody on the same page of knowing what it takes and the sacrifices that you have to do to get to that point.”
- Point guard John Wall said the Wizards have had a “pretty interesting” summer and feels Howard still has something left in the tank, he told Chris Miller of NBC Sports Washington in a podcast. “Even though [Howard] is older, he’s still an athletic big averaging 16 and 12,” Wall said. “Not only do you get more layups, probably, you get more wide-open threes.”
Latest On Kawhi Leonard
The Spurs‘ asking price for Kawhi Leonard remains high, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne. In an article packed with Leonard-related tidbits, the ESPN duo suggests that – based on conversations with opposing teams – San Antonio appears to be seeking an All-Star caliber player, high-potential young players, and draft picks in exchange for Kawhi.
It’s not clear if the Spurs will be able to land that sort of return, according to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, who note that a three-way bidding war involving the Lakers, Celtics, and Sixers never really materialized. The Lakers are being patience and conveying confidence that Leonard will sign with them in 2019. As for the Celtics and Sixers, they’ve held their top players out of trade discussions and have offered pick-heavy packages, which haven’t enticed the Spurs.
Given the Spurs’ reported demands, a Raptors offer built around one of their All-Star guards (likely DeMar DeRozan), one or two of their young players, and draft picks could be the most logical package for San Antonio.
In an appearance on Zach Lowe’s ESPN podcast, Brian Windhorst said he thinks the Raptors are in the “driver’s seat” in the Leonard sweepstakes, since the Lakers and Sixers haven’t been aggressive in their pursuit of the star forward. Lowe didn’t go so far as to call the Raptors the favorites, but he cautioned not to underestimate the club or to view the rumors linking Leonard to Toronto as mere speculation.
Here are a few more notes and rumors on the NBA’s most noteworthy trade candidate:
- In addition to the four teams noted above, the Clippers, Nuggets, Suns, Trail Blazers, and Wizards have talked to the Spurs about Leonard, league sources tell Wojnarowski and Shelburne. However, it’s unlikely that any of those teams has made a monster offer, given concerns that Kawhi would be a one-year rental. Portland hasn’t discussed Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum, for instance, per ESPN.
- Leonard is “seriously considering” participating in Team USA’s mini-camp next week, league sources tell Wojnarowski and Shelburne. There’s a sense that the All-Star wants to show the Spurs‘ prospective trade partners that he’s healthy, but there may be a concern within Leonard’s camp that participating in the mini-camp would give San Antonio more leverage to push him to report to camp in the fall.
- While there have been whispers that Leonard has no intention of showing up at the Spurs‘ facility if he’s not traded, rival teams generally view that as an “empty threat,” since they’re skeptical he’s willing to risk forfeiting his $20MM salary for 2018/19, according to Wojnarowski and Shelburne,
- The Spurs haven’t allowed potential trade partners to talk directly with Leonard or his camp, or to see his medical information, per ESPN’s report. It’s unlikely that stance would change unless the Spurs agree to a trade in principle with a team, Woj and Shelburne add.
- Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders addressed the Leonard situation in his latest article, suggesting that the start of training camp could be a key deadline to keep an eye on. One source close to Leonard also tells Kyler that the forward would ideally like to be the “focal point” of a team going forward. It’s not clear how that alleged desire to be a team’s focal point will impact Leonard’s preference to join the Lakers now that LeBron James is in L.A., Kyler writes.
Wall: Howard Will Have To Make Sacrifices With Wizards
- In order to succeed with the Wizards, newly-signed center Dwight Howard will have to be willing to make some sacrifices for the team, John Wall told Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “He has to buy into that and not try to say it’s all about him or try to do this for himself,” Wall said. “Just do it for the whole team and group and I think we will be fine.”
Wizards Officially Sign Dwight Howard
A three-week saga that saw Dwight Howard traded by one team, bought out by a second team, and signed by a third team has come to an end. According to the NBA’s official transactions log, Howard formally signed his new contract with the Wizards on Wednesday.
Howard, who had initially been owed nearly $24MM as he entered a contract year, was traded from the Hornets to the Nets in a deal that saw Charlotte acquire Timofey Mozgov, a pair of second-round picks, and $5MM in cash. While that trade was agreed upon before June’s draft, it couldn’t be finalized until July for salary cap reasons.
The former No. 1 overall pick was subsequently bought out by the Nets, giving back a reported $5MM to the team in that agreement. After clearing waivers earlier this week, Howard was able to officially finalize his new contract agreement with the Wizards, a two-year deal that will use the taxpayer mid-level exception.
As our chart of this year’s mid-level values shows, the contract will pay him $5,337,000 in 2018/19, with a 2019/20 player option worth $5,603,850.
Howard projects to slot in as the Wizards’ starting center after the team traded former starter Marcin Gortat to the Clippers in a June deal. Based on Washington’s current roster, Howard would be backed up by Ian Mahinmi, Jason Smith, and Thomas Bryant at the center position.
While Howard has seemingly worn out his welcome at his last several NBA stops, the 32-year-old remains a productive NBA center and should provide the Wizards with a big man who can finish at the rim, grab double-digit rebounds, and block some shots. Last season in Charlotte, Howard averaged 16.6 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 81 starts (30.4 MPG).
Having added Howard, Austin Rivers, Jeff Green, and rookie Troy Brown so far this offseason, the Wizards are up to 14 players with a team salary approaching $135MM. Barring cost-cutting moves, Washington figures to be a taxpayer again in 2018/19. If the team wants to fill out the last spot on its roster, it will only have the minimum salary exception available to do so.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.