Wizards Rumors

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Beverley, Young, Achiuwa, Herro

The Wizards’ expectations for the upcoming season remain modest. It’s all about player development and growth, not wins.

“Roster-wise, we’re still in the early stages of the rebuild,” general manager Will Dawkins told the media on Wednesday, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). “This offseason we decided to lean into the youth movement more… we like the unpredictability and the competition it’s going to bring.”

Washington is coming off an 18-64 season and it’s going to be a slow climb to get back to respectability. The Wizards will have to convey their first-round pick to the Knicks if it falls out of the top eight, giving them even more incentive to keep their win total low.

“We will not skip steps,” Dawkins said, per Varun Shankar of the Washington Post. “We will not take shortcuts.”

The Wizards have 13 players under the age of 25 and they’ll battle for playing time.

“We do not have the same level of experience or established players as we’ve had in the previous [seasons], which is fine,” Dawkins said. “We do, however, have depth. And I know we like the unpredictability and the competition that we think it’s going to breed. So for us, we view the upcoming season as a season of opportunity.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Former NBA guard Patrick Beverley ripped Hawks star guard Trae Young on a podcast, stating “I’ve talked to people who played in Atlanta. They don’t wanna play there. Why? They don’t think he’s a good leader. They don’t think he’s a good teammate. You can make all the money you want. You can have all the leading assists you want. You can do all that. If you don’t win, that s— won’t matter. If you don’t win, when you retire they’re gonna forget your name.” Young offered this response, per The Athletic’s John Hollinger: “You don’t know what it’s like to be in my position, you don’t know what it’s like to put my shoes on. The numbers generate the way they do. But I promise you — there’s not a selfish bone in my body.”
  • Precious Achiuwa agreed to a one-year contract with the Heat. It’s a non-guaranteed deal and comes with a $2.3MM cap hit not becoming fully guaranteed until Jan. 10. The addition of Achiuwa adds some much-needed size to the Heat’s roster, joining Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware as the only centers on Miami’s standard roster, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes. At least in the short term, the move does not have an impact regarding Terry Rozier, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets. Rozier is guaranteed $24.9MM this season on his $26.6MM salary — waiving him would bring Miami under the luxury tax.
  • Tyler Herro will not be ready for the start of the season after undergoing ankle surgery. How will the Heat replace him in the short term? Davion Mitchell will likely move into the starting lineup alongside offseason acquisition Norman Powell, who figures to have a prominent role offensively with Herro sidelined, according to Chiang. Pelle Larsson could see more minutes and even Rozier could force his way into the mix with a strong training camp.

Alex Sarr Will Miss The Start Of Wizards' Training Camp

  • Wizards center Alex Sarr, who suffered a right calf injury during EuroBasket, will miss the start of training camp, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. It doesn’t sound like a long-term issue, as general manager Will Dawkins told reporters that the team is “hopeful that he’ll see some time towards the end of that.” Dawkins added that Bilal Coulibaly, who underwent thumb ligament surgery earlier this month, is expected to be ready for the first or second week of the regular season (Twitter link).

Stein’s Latest: Warriors, Kuminga, Wizards, Bailey, THT, Davis

As Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article for The Stein Line, the Warriors‘ training camp will tip off a week from today (September 30), while the deadline for Jonathan Kuminga to accept his qualifying offer arrives one day later (October 1).

That means that if Kuminga’s decision goes down to the wire, the Warriors may open camp with a significant portion of their eventual roster missing. The club is currently carrying just nine players on standard contracts and has opted not to fill the five remaining non-Kuminga roster spots until the restricted free agent’s situation is resolved in order to maximize cap flexibility.

According to Stein, the expectation around the NBA is that the five players who eventually fill the remaining third of Golden State’s roster will be Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Seth Curry, and second-round pick Will Richard. In that scenario, Horford would be signed using the taxpayer mid-level exception, while the others would receive minimum-salary deals.

As for what happens with Kuminga, Stein says he’d be surprised if the 22-year-old sacrifices $40MM-ish in guaranteed money by signing his one-year, $8MM qualifying offer instead of accepting a reported three-year, $75MM proposal that includes a third-year team option, though he cautions that’s just informed speculation rather than sourced information.

Here’s more from Stein:

  • The belief around the NBA since June’s draft is that the Wizards – who held the No. 6 overall pick – were Ace Bailey‘s preferred landing spot, says Stein. Utah ultimately drafted Bailey at No. 5. Given their apparent interest in Bailey, it raised some eyebrows when the Wizards signed Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract last week, according to Stein. Cooper, who had been out of the NBA since the 2021/22 season, is the son of Bailey’s manager Omar Cooper.
  • Although six-year NBA veteran Talen Horton-Tucker officially signed a two-year contract with the Turkish team Fenerbahce over the weekend, the expectation is that he’ll try to return to the NBA next summer if his first year in Europe goes well, per Stein. That suggests Horton-Tucker’s deal includes an opt-out clause after year one.
  • After reporting on Saturday that Mavericks star Anthony Davis had taken part in some five-on-five scrimmages for the first time since undergoing eye surgery in July, Stein cautions that Dallas will likely take a cautious approach with the big man once camp officially gets underway, since “pickup game intensity cannot compare to training camp intensity.”

Wizards Sign Sharife Cooper, Keshon Gilbert, Jonathan Pierre

The Wizards have signed free agent guard Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract, reports Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Washington also signed Keshon Gilbert and Jonathan Pierre to Exhibit 10 contracts, the team announced (via Twitter).

Cooper was selected 48th overall in the 2021 draft by the Hawks. Robbins notes that Travis Schlenk, the Wizards’ senior vice president for player personnel, was serving as the Hawks’ head of basketball operations when Cooper was drafted.

Cooper played 13 games in his rookie year in Atlanta, averaging three minutes per night. He hasn’t been in the NBA since then, but spent multiple seasons in the G League, where he holds averages of 19.3 points and 7.0 assists per game, and split time last year between the Greek, French, and Turkish leagues, posting averages of 14.7 points and 3.8 assists during EuroCup play.

Cooper joins Tristan Vukcevic and Jamir Watkins as the team’s two-way players.

The Wizards’ signing of Gilbert had previously been reported, but was made official today. Also made official was the signing of Pierre, a 6’9″ forward who played for Washington’s Summer League team and averaged 7.7 points in 22.2 minutes per game.

Both players are signed to Exhibit 10 deals that will allow them to receive a bonus worth up to $85,300 if they are waived and then spend at least 60 days with the Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

Southeast Notes: Bane, Hawks, Leonsis, George

Magic fans are embracing Desmond Bane following Orlando’s blockbuster acquisition of the scoring guard early this offseason, The Athletic’s Josh Robbins writes. Bane is feeling the love in the city.

I haven’t been to the grocery store yet, honestly,” Bane said. “But my car broke down on the side of the road today on the highway. There was a decent amount of people screaming my name outside the window. So I think that it’s safe to say that Orlando fans are excited.

The excitement surrounding Bane reflects the expectations fans have for the team. Orlando with Bane in tow looks poised to be an Eastern Conference contender this season. Bane joins Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs as cornerstones of a rapidly improving roster.

As Robbins writes, the East is wide open next season. Cleveland and New York will almost certainly enter the year as favorites to win the conference, but major injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton have created some uncertainty at the top. The Magic are hoping to take advantage.

I don’t think that there is any limit to put on what this team can do,” Bane said. “I mean, we are a new team, adding some new pieces and things like that. But we have a very good roster in place, a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. So it’s very exciting from that standpoint. I just want to come in and be the glue, the guy that brings his whole thing together, kind of rounds out some of the gaps that they may have had in their team.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Another team that could make some noise in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks, kept busy this week when they moved Kobe Bufkin to the Nets. As Yossi Gozlan of the Third Apron writes (Substack subscriber link), the Hawks have done well to make moves that simultaneously keep them competitive now with an eye toward the future. The Bufkin deal gives Atlanta some added flexibility to extend Dyson Daniels and/or Kristaps Porzingis next year, Gozlan adds.
  • Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports which owns the Wizards and Capitals, said he wants to own MLB’s Nationals and the MLS’ D.C. United, per Greg Rosenstein of NBC (Twitter link). Leonsis said he has a good relationship with Nationals owner Mark Lerner, but that the Nationals aren’t yet ready to sell.
  • Wizards sophomore guard Kyshawn George got an opportunity to suit up for Canada at the AmeriCup this summer, serving as a primary scorer for the team and averaging 13.5 points per game. According to Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network, George believes the experience will benefit him as he rejoins the Wizards. “I think just my confidence in general [was helped], how aggressive I was with the ball whether it was creating for myself or for my teammates. It’s just up to me to keep doing that, keep getting better at it and transfer it now to the Wizards organization,” George said.

NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: Washington Wizards

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Washington Wizards.


Free agent signings

  • Marvin Bagley III: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Anthony Gill: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.

Trades

  • Acquired the draft rights to Will Riley (No. 21 pick), the No. 43 pick in the 2025 draft, either the Heat’s or Pacers’ 2031 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and the Jazz’s 2032 second-round pick from the Jazz in exchange for the draft rights to Walter Clayton (No. 18 pick).
  • Acquired Dillon Jones and the Rockets’ 2029 second-round pick from the Thunder in exchange for Colby Jones.
  • Acquired CJ McCollum (from Pelicans), Kelly Olynyk (from Pelicans), Cam Whitmore (from Rockets), and the Bulls’ 2027 second-round pick (from Pelicans) in a three-team trade in exchange for Jordan Poole (to Pelicans), Saddiq Bey (to Pelicans), the draft rights to Micah Peavy (No. 40 pick; to Pelicans), the Bulls’ 2026 second-round pick (to Rockets), and the Kings’ 2029 second-round pick (to Rockets).
    • Note: The Wizards already controlled the Bulls’ 2027 second-round pick if it landed between 31-50. Now they’ll receive it no matter where it ends up.
  • Acquired Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, and either the Mavericks’, Thunder’s, or Sixers’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable) from the Spurs in exchange for Kelly Olynyk.
    • Note: Wesley was subsequently bought out by the Wizards.

Draft picks

  • 1-6: Tre Johnson
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $37,439,130).
  • 1-21: Will Riley
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $17,220,192).
  • 2-43: Jamir Watkins
    • Signed to two-way contract.

Two-way signings

  • Tristan Vukcevic
    • One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
  • Jamir Watkins
    • One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other roster moves

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
  • Carrying approximately $156.1MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $195,945,000.
  • Full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14,104,000) available.
  • Portion of bi-annual exception ($407,672) available.
  • Three traded player exceptions available (largest worth $13,445,122).

The offseason so far

After winning 15 games in 2023/24 and 18 last season, the Wizards are in no hurry to take a significant step forward in ’25/26. In fact, a major improvement in the standings might work against the best interests of the organization in the long term, since Washington will owe its 2026 first-round pick to New York if it lands outside the top eight. Assuming that pick is inside the top eight, the Wizards will keep it and would no longer be required to give up a future first-rounder — instead, they’d send the Knicks their second-rounders in 2026 and 2027.

That first-round pick, which has landed in its protected range for each of the past three years, was originally sent to Houston as part of the John Wall/Russell Westbrook swap during the 2020 offseason before being rerouted to Oklahoma City and then to New York.

While that Wall/Westbrook trade may feel like ancient history, the traded pick involved in the deal continues to loom large over the franchise. It’s a big reason why the majority of the Wizards’ moves this summer weren’t about adding win-now help, but were instead about creating financial flexibility, taking fliers on former first-round picks, or continuing to accumulate future draft assets. Washington made four trades this offseason and each of them falls into one or more of those three categories.

For instance, the Wizards added three second-round picks to their stockpile by trading back from No. 18 to No. 21 on draft night. They picked up another second-rounder and took a shot on a recent first-round selection when they sent Colby Jones‘ non-guaranteed deal to Oklahoma City in exchange for 2024’s No. 26 overall pick Dillon Jones. And when they dealt Kelly Olynyk to San Antonio, they acquired a future second-round pick and reduced their 2025/26 team salary in the process.

The biggest trade of Washington’s summer was the one initially sending Olynyk to D.C. alongside veteran guard CJ McCollum. The agreement, which saw Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey head to New Orleans as the Wizards and Pelicans swapped second-round picks, looked a little curious on the surface, but made a ton of sense on the cap sheet — while Poole and Bey have two guaranteed years left on their contracts, McCollum and Olynyk (as well as the players whom the Wizards eventually acquired when they flipped Olynyk to the Spurs) are on expiring deals.

That means the Wizards are now in position to create a huge chunk of cap room during the 2026 offseason. Even if they retain all their players with team options and/or non-guaranteed salaries for the 2026/27 season, they’d still only have about $70MM in salary on their books entering next year’s draft. Of course, Washington doesn’t need that cap room to pursue free agents, but the team’s relative lack of multiyear financial commitments gives the front office a ton of flexibility to take on salary in trades, during either the coming season or the summer of 2026.

That trade with the Pelicans turned into a three-team deal when the Wizards folded in a separate agreement with the Rockets — Washington sent a pair of second-round picks to Houston in exchange for 2023 first-rounder Cam Whitmore.

It was the only deal the Wizards made this summer in which they gave up more draft assets than they got back, but the price tag to take a shot on a young scorer who has some untapped potential was relatively modest. Whitmore just turned 21 in July and has averaged 22.3 points per 36 minutes during his first two NBA seasons, but there was no place for him on an increasingly deep Rockets roster. We’ll see if he can find a more permanent home in D.C.

The Wizards added two more notable youngsters to their roster in this year’s draft, using the sixth overall pick on Texas guard Tre Johnson and the 21st pick on Illinois forward Will Riley, a pair of one-and-done college players.

Washington has now made six first-round picks in the past three years, including three top-seven selections, and doesn’t yet have a clear-cut franchise player to show for it. The franchise presumably hoped to address that issue this year with the second-best lottery odds in a class headlined by Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, but ended up with a worst-case outcome, leapfrogged by four teams and dropping to No. 6.

As disappointing a result as that was, there’s still optimism about Johnson’s ability to become a long-term fixture in the Wizards’ backcourt. He was excellent in two Summer League games, scoring 38 points on 14-of-24 shooting in 55 minutes of action, which was a promising first impression.

As the Wizards continue to lean into their youth movement, there are fewer veterans than ever left on the roster. The club brought back Marvin Bagley III and Anthony Gill on minimum-salary contracts, and it looks like McCollum and Khris Middleton will at least start the season in Washington. But Marcus Smart was bought out, Richaun Holmes was waived, Malcolm Brogdon departed in free agency, and it’s likely just a matter of time until McCollum and Middleton (both eligible for free agency in 2026) move on as well. The Wizards’ young core should get plenty of opportunities to sink or swim in 2025/26.


Up next

The Wizards have a minor roster crunch to address for the regular season, with 15 players on guaranteed contracts and Justin Champagnie on a non-guaranteed deal. Champagnie was a pretty effective role player last season and doesn’t deserve to be the odd man out, so Washington will likely have to trade or release someone with a guaranteed salary, which shouldn’t be an issue for a team operating way below the luxury tax line.

Malaki Branham, acquired from the Spurs in the Olynyk deal, is one candidate to be waived — he averaged a career-low 9.1 minutes per game in his third NBA season in 2024/25.

It’s also not clear if Jones, who was acquired in that aforementioned trade with the Thunder, is someone Washington actually likes or if the front office just made the deal for the second-round pick that was attached to him. He looks like another potential release candidate.

The Wizards have one open two-way slot alongside second-round pick Jamir Watkins and big man Tristan Vukcevic. After undrafted rookie Kadary Richmond agreed to sign with Washington in June, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino published a social media post congratulating Richmond for his “two-way” deal, but no reporters ever confirmed that the guard was getting a two-way contract and he has yet to officially sign at all, so Pitino may have misspoke. It’s possible Richmond will be one of a few players who have a chance to compete for that two-way slot in training camp.

Setting the 15-man standard roster and filling the final two-way opening will be the main items on the Wizards’ to-do list this fall, since there are no real extension candidates on the roster — Branham is the only player eligible for a rookie scale extension, and extension-eligible veterans like McCollum and Middleton aren’t legitimate candidates for new deals.

Still, the Wizards are worth keeping an eye on as a trade facilitator. The preseason doesn’t typically feature a ton of trade activity, but there are usually at least a couple deals made, and the Wizards’ cap situation makes them a logical partner for teams looking to shed a contract or two. Washington is operating more than $30MM below the luxury tax line and still has the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception and a pair of mid-sized trade exceptions at its disposal to take on salary.

Bilal Coulibaly Expected To Miss 6-8 Weeks

It was recently announced that Wizards‘ wing Bilal Coulibaly underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb that he suffered during his time with the French national team competing at EuroBasket. Grant Afseth of RG has now provided an update on the timeline of Coulibaly’s recovery process.

According to Afseth, the 21-year-old is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, which means he’ll likely be sidelined for at least the first week of the season, which tips off on October 21. Afseth notes that even if Coulibaly were to get back to full health on the earlier side of that timeline, he would still have to undergo a full return-to-competition ramp-up.

Usually, you’re not touching a basketball, unless it’s just to do off-hand work, until that six-week mark,” a source told Afseth. “Then he’d have to do contact work before playing.”

Coulibaly averaged 12.3 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for the Wizards last season before missing the final 23 games of the season with a hamstring injury. He saw his three-point shooting numbers drop from 34.6% as a rookie to 28.1% as a sophomore while shouldering a larger offensive workload.

Afseth notes that once Coulibaly returns, he’s expected to resume his place as a key member of the Wizards’ rebuild. A strong defender and open-court player, he projects to fit well alongside 2025 first-round pick Tre Johnson on the wing.

Afseth notes that Coulibaly’s teammate on both the French national team and Wizards, Alex Sarr, was also injured in competition, suffering a calf injury that caused him to pull out of the tournament.

Wizards’ Coulibaly Undergoes Thumb Surgery

Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly underwent surgery on Friday in order to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Coulibaly – who sustained the injury while playing for the French national team at EuroBasket 2025 – will likely miss some time at the start of the regular season.

The Wizards have formally confirmed that Coulibaly underwent thumb surgery, but didn’t provide any sort of recovery timeline, simply stating that the 21-year-old’s status will be updated as appropriate (Twitter link).

The seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft, Coulibaly was a full-time starter for the Wizards last season, averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals in 33.0 minutes per game across 59 outings. Although his shooting percentages slipped to 42.1% from the field and 28.1% on three-point attempts, the Frenchman has shown real promise as a two-way wing and just turned 21 in July.

Coulibaly averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per contest in six games for France at EuroBasket. The team was eliminated in the round of 16 by Georgia, with the Wizards forward going scoreless in that game.

While Coulibaly’s injury is an unfortunate setback for a player seeking a breakout year ahead of his rookie scale extension eligibility in 2026, it will open the door for some of Washington’s other young wings to make a case for playing time during training camp and the preseason. That group includes Cam Whitmore, Will Riley, AJ Johnson, Dillon Jones, and Malaki Branham.

Johnson Is Already Improving; Should Wizards Retire Wall's Jersey?

  • Wizards lottery pick Tre Johnson III was viewed as one of the best shooters entering the 2025 draft but he also displayed improved ball-handling a couple months ago at Las Vegas Summer League, writes Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. “I watch bits and pieces of Kyrie (Irving) and Darius Garland, just from a guard’s perspective how they can change speeds,” Johnson said. Second-year big man Alex Sarr believes Johnson is more than capable of creating shots for both himself and others. “I like his play-making in general. I already knew that about him, but it’s just good to see. I feel like we’re just seeing the surface of what he’s capable of,” Sarr said.
  • John Wall announced his retirement as a player last month and will cover the NBA for Amazon Prime Video in 2025/26. In an interview with Michael Lee of The Washington Post, Wall said he hopes to have his No. 2 jersey retired by the Wizards. Varun Shankar of The Washington Post considers whether the Wizards should retire Wall’s jersey, noting that the former No. 1 overall pick made five All-Star appearances with the franchise and is the team’s all-time leader in both assists and steals. While it’s been a long time since the organization has retired a player’s jersey, Shankar believes Wall could be a “logical” choice to be honored, as he was the driving force behind Washington’s “best stretch since (Wes) Unseld retired.”

Nets Notes: Porter, Thomas, Lottery Odds, Koch

The Nets are counting on Michael Porter Jr. to provide scoring punch and stretch opposing defenses after acquiring him in an offseason trade with Denver, and he’s confident that he can deliver. In a recent interview with online influencer PlaqueBoyMax (YouTube video link), Porter proclaimed that Warriors guard Stephen Curry is the only NBA player who surpasses him as a long-distance shooter.

“Stephen Curry, that’s the only one I’m giving like a clear elite, can shoot better than me,” Porter said. “There’s dudes that are on the same level. I think Klay Thompson, (Kevin Durant). If I got in the gym (with someone) like Duncan Robinson, he probably can shoot with me. Trae Young, (Damian Lillard). But I think Steph is the only one clearly better.”

Porter has numbers to back up his claims, as he’s coming off one of the best shooting seasons of his career, connecting at 50.4% from the field and 39.5% from three-point range. His ability to knock down outside shots convinced the Nets to take on the nearly $80MM he’ll earn over the next two seasons.

There’s more from Brooklyn:

  • Cam Thomas‘ future with the team remains cloudy following his decision to accept a one-year qualifying offer, according to NetsDaily. The high-scoring guard may find himself pushed down the rotation as the Nets focus on developing their five first-round picks, and the situation could get more contentious as the season wears on. One source called the outcome “another failure in asset management” for the team, while another told the author, “Cam Thomas gets the QO to no surprise. Can’t imagine how many shots he’s going to take this year.”
  • With their roster loaded with young players, the Nets are expected to be among the top contenders for best odds heading into next year’s draft lottery. Peter Botte of The New York Post examines their competition and expects the Jazz, Wizards and Hornets to all be involved in that race to the bottom.
  • Julia Koch and the billionaire Koch family, who own 15% of the Nets’ parent company, BSE Global, have purchased a minority stake in the NFL’s New York Giants, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. BSE Global also owns the WNBA’s New York Liberty and Barclays Center.