Washington Wizards Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Brandon Jennings Signs With Wizards

March 1st, 2017 at 6:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:10pm: Jennings will receive $1.2MM for the rest of the season, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. However, because the Knicks will save half of any amount over $875K, Jennings will wind up with a net of about $1MM, notes cap expert Albert Nahmad (Twitter link).

5:45pm: Former Knicks guard Brandon Jennings has cleared waivers and signed with the Wizards, the team announced. As expected, rookie guard Danuel House was waived to clear a roster spot.

Washington is Jennings’ fourth team in the past two seasons. He signed a free agent deal with the Knicks last summer and averaged 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds over 58 games before agreeing to a buyout on Monday. He is expected to be the new backup to John Wall in Washington.

“Brandon gives us playmaking ability and experience at the guard position while adding another scoring option as well,” said Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld. “His presence, along with the recent acquisition of Bojan Bogdanovic and the continued progression of Ian Mahinmi, will help our team as we continue our push towards the playoffs.”

Wizards To Waive Danuel House

March 1st, 2017 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Rookie shooting guard Danuel House will be in the odd man out in D.C. with Brandon Jennings close to finalizing a deal with the Wizards, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that the club will waive House to open up a spot on the roster for Jennings.

Earlier today, word broke that Trey Burke didn’t made the trip to Toronto with the rest of the Wizards due to a personal matter, creating speculation about whether Burke would be the roster casualty. As I noted at the time, the former lottery pick has averaged a career-low 12.4 minutes per contest and was reportedly being shopped prior to the deadline. However, the Wizards will hang onto Burke, opting to part ways with House instead.

An undrafted rookie out of Texas A&M, House received a partial guarantee from the Wizards last summer and earned a spot on the club’s regular-season roster. However, after appearing in just one NBA game, House suffered a fractured wrist, which has essentially wiped out his rookie year. In addition to the very brief action he saw with the Wizards, House has also played in seven D-League games for the Delaware 87ers, averaging 13.3 PPG and 5.7 RPG.

House’s contract with the Wizards ran through the 2017/18 season, but next year’s salary was fully non-guaranteed, so the team won’t be on the hook for any money beyond this season after waiving him.

Trey Burke Doesn't Travel With Wizards To Toronto

March 1st, 2017 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Wizards guard Trey Burke didn’t travel with the club to Toronto due to a personal matter, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Under normal circumstances, there would be no need to read further into that news, but with Washington needing to clear a roster spot to sign Brandon Jennings, it might be safe to read between the lines, tweets J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com.

The Wizards were said to be shopping Burke prior to the deadline, and the fourth-year guard hasn’t played a major role in Washington this season, averaging a career-low 12.4 minutes per contest. Burke’s role will likely be further reduced with Jennings in the mix, and the former Michigan standout is also an expiring contract, with possible restricted free agency around the corner.

According to Haynes (via Twitter), the Wizards have yet to make a final decision on which player will be released to clear a roster spot, so it’s possible Burke will rejoin the team after its trip to Toronto. However, it looks just as likely that he has played his last game for the club. Stay tuned.

Porter Expected To Be Pursued, Could Push Price Tag Close To Max

February 28th, 2017 at 5:58pm CST by Austin Kent

The Wizards are intent on keeping forward Otto Porter in Washington, Deveney writes, even as the suddenly hot 23-year-old commodity, gets pursued by other teams like the Suns and Nets, as expected. As the pool of suitors grows, Porter’s price tag could approach max territory.

[SOURCE LINK]

Brandon Jennings, Wizards Reach Verbal Agreement

February 28th, 2017 at 4:50pm CST by Austin Kent

Though he won’t be able to officially sign until waivers clear on Wednesday, Brandon Jennings is on his way to Washington intent on signing with the Wizards. Chris Haynes of ESPN tweeted that the two parties have come to a verbal agreement, while Mike Wise of ESPN initially reported that such a deal was likely. It was Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical who wrote that the guard is already arranging travel plans to be in D.C. tomorrow.

Jennings and other recently bought out players Andrew Bogut and Jose Calderon won’t be able to sign with new clubs until they clear waivers at 5 PM EST on March 1, as ESPN’s Marc Stein reminds us. At that point, Jennings will be eligible to sign with the Wizards and be a part of their playoff run. Washington had previously been linked to Lakers guard Lou Williams but he was ultimately dealt to the Rockets just prior to the deadline. In Jennings, however, the Wiz gets their prolific reserve scorer at the point guard position.

The Wizards currently have a full 15-man roster, so they’ll need to waive a player to open up a roster spot before Jennings’ signing can become official. It also remains to be seen how much Jennings’ deal will be worth — most free agents signing new deals at this point ink minimum salary contracts, but Washington still has a prorated portion of its room exception available. A minimum salary pact would mean a salary worth about $325K for Jennings, while a deal with the room exception could be worth up to about $2MM.

In 58 games with the Knicks, Jennings averaged 8.6 points and 4.9 assists per game.

Durant Discusses Why He Didn’t Join The Wizards

February 27th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kevin Durant didn’t consider the Wizards when he was a free agent in part because he accomplished everything he set out to do in the D.C. Metro area, Tim Bontemps and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post relay.

“I don’t want to open up anything in the past, but I really just didn’t want to play at home,” Durant said. “It was nothing about the fans. Being at home, I was so happy with that part of my life — playing at home, being in front of friends, hanging with friends and family every day. That was a part of my life that has come and gone.

“I was like, I’m trying to build a second part of my life as a man living in a different part of the country, just trying to do different things. I did everything I was supposed to do in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area, I felt. Now it’s time to do something new. I didn’t want to come back. That’s just my thought process behind it. It had nothing to do with basketball, the fans, the city.”

Landing Durant was always a pipedream for the Wizards. Washington did not get a meeting with him in free agency while it watched six other franchises court the small forward.

Durant added that his mother was a major influence on his decision not to come back home. “No disrespect to anybody back at home, but my mom, she wanted me to see the world. She wanted me to see a different part of the country, and she didn’t want it to be a quick flight, either. She didn’t want anybody to be able to just get ahold of me,” Durant said.

Over the course of his career, the 8-time All-Star routinely made visits to his home state of Maryland during his offseasons. It was rewarding to come home and help out the community, but it came with challenges.

“With any athlete, when they’re playing in their hometown, there are advantages and disadvantages,” said Stu Vetter, Durant’s former high school coach. “The disadvantage is, everyone becomes a very good friend very quickly. Your time is in great demand. Your resources are in great demand. And everyone wants a favor.”

Durant visits his home community less frequently now than he did earlier in his career, but the area remains close to his heart. He’s a huge Redskins fan, who believes the team should re-sign Kirk Cousins (you can check out the latest on Cousins and Washington at Pro Football Rumors). Durant considered coming back home after learning about LeBron James‘ decision to return to his home state in 2014 but quickly decided that his own situation was not parallel to LBJ’s.

“I thought about what it might be like,” Durant said. “I thought about it. But it made LeBron’s situation different because he got drafted there. So it was like he was home already, so he knew what it was like. It wasn’t like it was his first time going back. For me, I never played at home. I didn’t know what it would be. I know every time I go back it’s pretty hectic, and I just wanted to focus on basketball and not have to worry about a lot of stuff that comes with being at home.”

“It’s always good going back, but I would rather play in a different city.”

Latest On Brandon Jennings

February 27th, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

2:55pm: Despite Van Gundy’s assertion, the Hornets are happy with their signing of Weber and are currently unlikely to pursue Jennings, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stein adds (via Twitter) that multiple teams are eyeing Jennings, with the Wizards apparently at the “front of the line.”

1:53pm: David Aldridge of TNT and NBA.com (Twitter link) is hearing from “several places” that Jennings-to-Charlotte isn’t necessarily a done deal. The Wizards are among the team still working on landing Jennings, per Aldridge.

12:35pm: Having been released by the Knicks today, Brandon Jennings is on track to clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday, assuming he goes unclaimed. However, it sounds like Jennings may have already have a new team lined up. Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy told local reporters today that Jennings is headed to the Hornets (Twitter link via Keith Langlois of Pistons.com).

As the Pistons’ president of basketball operations, Van Gundy is plugged into player movement around the league, but an agreement between the Hornets and Jennings has yet to be reported elsewhere, so we’ll wait for further confirmation. It’s also worth noting that Jennings will have to clear waivers first — Charlotte doesn’t have the cap room or exception available to claim him, so if the Hornets do land him, it would be in free agency.

A former 10th overall pick, Jennings signed a one-year contract with the Knicks last summer, and averaged 8.6 PPG and 4.9 APG in 58 games to go along with a .380/.340/.756 shooting line. New York waived Jennings today, and at least one report indicated that the veteran guard had asked for the opportunity to join a playoff team.

The Hornets are currently just one game ahead of the Knicks in the standings and sit 11th in the East, so Charlotte would be a somewhat unusual landing spot. Having signed Briante Weber today, the Hornets also have a full 15-man roster, though because Weber and Johnny O’Bryant are on 10-day contracts, it wouldn’t be hard to open up a roster spot if it’s needed.

According to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Wizards also have interest in Jennings.

Wizards Struggle With New Rotations

February 26th, 2017 at 9:15pm CST by Austin Kent

The Wizards have some adjustments to make with offseason acquisition Ian Mahinmi back in the lineup and newly acquired Bojan Bogdanovic still settling in, writes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. “We’re trying to find some consistency,” said head coach Scott Brooks. “Getting Ian back, hopefully we can get him back to a stretch of games where he can play and build a chemistry with the group he’s out there with. Now Bojan so we can have him out there with that group. It’s consistency and understanding where we can get some points. I got to try to figure out what’s the best minute-wise and who plays and the matchups.“

McClellan Changes Name; Grunfeld Loves Otto; Bogdanovic Embraces Role

February 25th, 2017 at 12:06pm CST by Austin Kent

The Wizards freed up cap space to make signing forward Otto Porter to an extension this summer possible. General manager Ernie Grunfeld recently spoke with J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic about just that. “We love the way that he’s developed and how he’s come along. I think Otto fits in very well with what we’re trying to do,” Grunfeld said. “I said he’s part of our core and we want to keep him here.”
Over the All-Star Break, Wizards rookie Sheldon McClellan announced that he has legally changed his name to Sheldon Mac, says Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The guard had thought about it for a while but held off for fear of complicating the scouting and drafting process he went through last year.
Recently acquired forward Bojan Bogdanovic was looking forward to the trade that officially sent him to the Wizards. The veteran will come off the bench in Washington and tells J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic that he doesn’t think it will be that big of an adjustment.

Hornets Sign Johnny O’Bryant To 10-Day Deal

February 24th, 2017 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

3:14pm: The Hornets have officially signed O’Bryant to a 10-day contract, the team announced this afternoon in a press release.

7:32am: After playing on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Nuggets earlier this season, Johnny O’Bryant is poised to join a new team, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back, who reports (via Twitter) that the Hornets will sign the free agent forward to a 10-day contract.

The Hornets have been carrying 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, along with a pair of players – Ray McCallum and Mike Tobey – on 10-day contracts. The latest 10-day deals for both McCallum and Tobey expired overnight, so it seems the Hornets won’t retain both players.

Assuming the team finalizes a deal with O’Bryant, there would still be one opening on the roster to sign McCallum, Tobey, or someone else. Since McCallum and Tobey each signed two 10-day contracts with Charlotte, they would need to be signed for the season to stick with the Hornets.

O’Bryant, 23, was the 36th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and spent his first two NBA seasons with the Bucks. In 100 games for the club, O’Bryant averaged 3.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG. The LSU product signed as a free agent with the Wizards prior to training camp last fall, but didn’t earn a regular-season roster spot with the team.

O’Bryant subsequently joined the D-League’s Northern Arizona Suns, averaging 18.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 24 games for Phoenix’s affiliate this season. He even added a three-point shot to his game during his time in the NBADL, making 38.0% of his attempts and averaging more than one three-pointer per game. That earned O’Bryant a couple 10-day contracts with the Nuggets, for whom he appeared in seven games, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.6 RPG.