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Wizards sign Greg Monroe to 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed center Greg Monroe to a 10-day contract via the NBA Hardship Exception provisions.

Monroe recently completed a 10-day contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played in three games, averaging 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Monroe’s appearance on December 27 with Minnesota marked the first game played for the now 10-year veteran since the 2018-19 season.

Monroe originally signed with the Go-Go on November 7 and appeared in 12 games (one start), where he has averaged 10.4 points and 8.8 rebounds in his first career NBA G League season. Monroe has notched four double-doubles this season, including a 17-point, 10-rebound performance against the Delaware Blue Coats on December 11.

Monroe will join his hometown Wizards, marking the eighth different team in his now 10-year NBA career. He has played in 635 career games with Detroit, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Boston, Toronto, Philadelphia and Minnesota averaging 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Monroe averaged a double-double in 2014-15 and averaged at least 10 points per game in seven of the nine seasons of his career. Monroe made three playoff appearances with Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia, advancing as far as the Eastern Conference Finals with the Boston Celtics in 2017-18.

Wizards sign Tremont Waters to a 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Tremont Waters to a 10-day contract via the NBA Hardship Exception provisions.

Waters, a 5-10, 175-pound guard, has played in 39 career NBA games across three seasons with the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors, averaging3.8 points and 2.2 assists in the span. Waters appeared in 36 NBA G League games with Maine in 2019-20, averaging 18.0 points and 7.3 assists per game, tallying six point-assist double-doubles that season. Waters played in 13 games with the Wisconsin Herd this season, averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 assists per game before earning a 10-Day call-up with the Toronto Raptors on December 23.

Waters attended Louisiana State University for two seasons, helping the Tigers reach the Sweet Sixteen in 2018-19 as the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Originally from New Haven, Conn., Waters was selected with the 51st overall pick by the Celtics in 2019 and signed to a two-way contract.

Wizards sign Jaime Echenique to a 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed center Jaime Echenique to a 10-day contract via the NBA Hardship Exception provisions.

Echenique, a 6-11, 258-pound center, originally spent 2021 Summer League, training camp and preseason with the Wizards, appearing in two preseason games. The Colombian has played in 14 games (13 starts) with the Capital City Go-Go this season, averaging 12.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting .554 from the floor. Echenique has tallied six double-doubles and currently ranks third in the NBA G League with 25 blocks on the season.

Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, Echenique began his collegiate career at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas before transferring to and graduating from Wichita State. Echenique also played in Spain with Acunsa GBG during the 2020-21 season, averaging 12.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18 games.

Wizards sign Brad Wanamaker to a 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Brad Wanamaker to a 10-day contract via the NBA Hardship Exception provisions.

Wanamaker, a 6-3, 210-pound guard, has played in 190 career games in the NBA with the Celtics, Warriors, Hornets and Pacers, averaging 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. In 22 games (one start) with Indiana this season, Wanamaker averaged 3.5 points and 2.2 assists per game.

Prior to the NBA, Wanamaker played seven seasons overseas in Turkey, Germany, Italy and France. Originally from Philadelphia, Pa., Wanamaker attended the University of Pittsburgh where he graduated with the eighth-most games played in program history.

Wizards sign Jordan Goodwin to a 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Jordan Goodwin to a 10-day contract, via the NBA Hardship Exception provisions.

Goodwin, a 6-3, 200-pound guard from Saint Louis, has played in 14 games (11 starts) with the Capital City Go-Go this season, averaging 15.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Goodwin has led the Go-Go in scoring four times this season, including a 30-point performance against the Westchester Knicks on November 5 and is coming off a triple-double performance at the NBA G League Showcase in Las Vegas, where he tallied 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over the Iowa Wolves.

A native of Centreville, Ill., Goodwin left Saint Louis as the school’s all-time leader in steals, while also finishing in the top five in rebounds and assists. Prior to college, Goodwin played for Wizards’ guard Bradley Beal on his Saint Louis-based AAU team, Bradley Beal Elite, from his eighth grade through his senior year of high school.

Washington Wizards sign Jordan Schakel to a 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Jordan Schakel to a 10-day contract, via the NBA Hardship Exception provisions.

Schakel, who has played in 14 games with the Capital City Go-Go (the Wizards’ NBA G League affiliate), originally spent 2021 training camp and preseason with the Wizards, where he appeared in two games. The 6-6, 200-pound guard has averaged 13.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game with Capital City this season, shooting .396 from three-point range. The former San Diego State Aztec currently leads the NBA G League in made threes this season with 44 through 14 games, having knocked down 34 on a .479 three-point percentage over his last eight games.

Originally from Torrance, California, Schakel graduated from San Diego State with the third-most made threes in school history. He also ranked third nationally in three-point percentage during the 2020-21 season, shooting .461 from deep.

Wizards notes: Dec. 20, 2021

The Wizards this past week were out West for a four-game road trip which began in Denver on Monday, December 13. Washington returned home after defeating the Utah Jazz 109-103 on Saturday, December 18.

Washington leads the NBA in clutch game wins this season and now owns a 13-1 record in clutch situations after Saturday’s 109-103 win in Utah. Clutch games are defined as the last five minutes of a game in which the point differential is five or less.

Bradley Beal (2,600) passed Kevin Porter (2,593) for the fourth-most assists in franchise history with his seven-assist performance on Saturday night in Utah.

Deni Avdija has scored in double figures in three-consecutive games
for the first time in his career. Avdija is averaging 13.3 points, 5.3
rebounds and 2.3 assists in that span.

The NBA announced that Washington’s game at Brooklyn on Tuesday, December 21 has been postponed.

Huge offseason trade looks great for Wizards early in 2021-22 season

The Wizards, featuring Bradley Beal and some returnees from last season but also a big stack of new players, are off to a fantastic start in 2021-22. Via the Washington Times:

This offseason, Washington traded Westbrook, reportedly at his request, to the Los Angeles Lakers. In return, the Wizards got Kuzma and a package of other players.

And, perhaps surprisingly, the early returns have been nothing but favorable for the Wizards.

While the Wizards are off to their best start since the 2014-15 season, Westbrook has yet to find his groove alongside stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles. The 32-year-old’s 18.8 points per game are his lowest scoring average since the second year of his career and he again leads the league in turnovers. Westbrook, with a field goal percentage of 41.1, has shot worse just once — his rookie season.

The Lakers are just 6-5.

“Most people probably thought we lost the trade,” Wizards guard Aaron Holiday said. “But I think we won it.”

Holiday was one of six players the Wizards got in the deal — which ballooned into a complicated five-team swap by the time it was finalized. Of those six players, five were legitimate NBA role players: Kuzma, Holiday, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Spencer Dinwiddie and Montrezl Harrell.

On new Wizards point guard Spencer Dinwiddie

Spencer Dinwiddie’s time with the Nets revealed he has some big-time talent. Then injuries put that show on hold. Now he’s on the Wizards, alongside star scoring guard Bradley Beal. Here’s the Washington Times:

[Russell] Westbrook is now gone, which leaves Beal, once again, having to adjust to a new backcourt partner. Upon trading Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Wizards brought in Spencer Dinwiddie to be their starting point guard — giving him a three-year, $54 million contract as part of a five-team sign-and-trade. His arrival marks the fourth straight year Beal and the Wizards will have a new starting point guard on opening night: John Wall in 2018, Ish Smith in 2019, Westbrook in 2020 and now Dinwiddie.

Compared to Wall and Westbrook — two All-Star point guards — Dinwiddie brings a fundamentally different style to Washington. Wall and Westbrook thrived on racing out in transition, using their game-changing speed to get downhill and attack the rim. Dinwiddie, however, is more measured: the former Brooklyn Nets guard has a quick first step, but plays at a slower pace.

With Washington’s first preseason game Tuesday against the Houston Rockets, the Wizards have spent training camp getting used to Dinwiddie leading the offense.

Wizards hire Pat Delany, Joseph Blair, Mike Miller and Zach Guthrie as assistant coaches

The Washington Wizards announced today the hiring of Pat Delany, Joseph Blair, Mike Miller and Zach Guthrie as assistant coaches on Head Coach Wes Unseld Jr’s staff.

“We have assembled an experienced staff that brings a diverse background of all aspects of coaching from NBA head coaching experience, G League head coaching experience, advance scouting and video coordination,” said Unseld. “We’re excited to get to work and implement our systems and philosophies heading in to training camp. Mike Miller will serve as the head coach of our summer league team as we have begun to install our principles.”

Delany brings 20 years of basketball experience to the Wizards, having last served as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic (2018-2021) and Charlotte Hornets (2014-2018) under Steve Clifford. Prior to his stints with Orlando and Charlotte, Delany spent the 2013-14 season as the head coach of the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League, where he led the Skyforce to a 31-19 record. He also spent 11 seasons with the Miami Heat, including six seasons as advance scout (2007-2013), four as video coordinator (2003-2007) and one as a video intern (2002-2003). Delany started his NBA career as a video intern for the Boston Celtics (2001-2002).

Blair begins his first season with Washington after spending the 2020-2021 season as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Prior to joining Minnesota, he spent the 2019-2020 season as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers. Before his career as an NBA assistant coach, Blair spent four seasons (2015-2019) with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Houston Rockets G League affiliate. After serving three years as an assistant, he was named team’s head coach (2018-19) and led the Vipers to the 2019 G League title over the Long Island Nets. He also spent two seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of Arizona (2013-2015). Prior to coaching, Blair played professionally from 1996-2009 that included stops in France, the USBL, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Russia. He played four years collegiately at Arizona, where he was a key member of Arizona’s 1994 Final Four team. Following his collegiate career, he was drafted with the 35th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by Seattle.

Miller comes to the Wizards bringing roughly three decades of coaching experience with him. Miller spent the 2020-2021 season as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the 2019-2020 season as an assistant with the New York Knicks before he assumed the role of interim head coach in December 2019. Prior to joining the Knicks, Miller spent four years as the head coach of the New York Knicks’ G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks (2015-2019), where he won G League Coach of the Year in 2018 and led the team to the G League Playoffs in three of his four seasons as head coach. In his four years with Westchester, Miller guided the Knicks to an 108-92 (.540) overall record. He also spent two seasons as an assistant with San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. Prior to coaching at the professional level, Miller spent time as the head coach at Eastern Illinois University (2005-12) and Texas State University (1994-00). He has also served as an assistant coach at the collegiate level for UC Riverside (2012-13), Kansas State (2001-05), Texas State (1992-94), Sam Houston State (1990-91) and Western Illinois (1989-90).

Guthrie joins Washington after spending the 2020-2021 season with the Dallas Mavericks. Prior to Dallas, Guthrie spent five seasons (2015-2020) as a member of the Utah Jazz organization, with the last four serving as an assistant coach. Guthrie also served as the manager of advanced scouting for the Orlando Magic (2012-2015) and was the assistant video coordinator for two years with the San Antonio Spurs. He began his career as a basketball operations intern with the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League in 2007 where he worked under coach Quin Snyder.

In addition to the assistants listed above, the Wizards have retained assistant coaches Ryan Richman and Dean Oliver. The team has promoted Alex McLean to assistant coach/Director of Player Development, with Landon Tatum, Mike Williams, and Ryan Lumpkin returning to the player development staff. Eric Sebastian will return as Director of Coaching Operations.