Category: Washington Wizards Blog

Wizards blog – Washington Wizards basketball blog

Wizards move Wes Unseld Jr. from head coach job to front office advisory position

Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger announced today that Wes Unseld Jr. will transition from his role as head coach of the Washington Wizards into a front office advisory position.

“After several thoughtful conversations with Wes, we determined together that a change was needed for the benefit of the team,” said Winger. “Wes embodies the characteristics we value in our organization, and his vast basketball experience will be an asset to the front office as we progress toward our long-term goals. We are thankful that he will continue his contributions to our organization and community.”

Unseld Jr. was named head coach of the Wizards on July 17, 2021. He compiled a record of 77-130 (.372) in his two-and-a-half seasons with the team.

“I am grateful to have served as head coach of the Washington Wizards,” said Unseld Jr. “I look forward to this new opportunity to work toward our organization’s continued progress.”

Per the Washington Post, “Unseld is under contract through the 2024-25 season, and his “advisory role” is nebulous for the time being, a way to keep him connected to the Wizards while providing the team a new on-court leader amid a season in which Washington has seen improvement on an individual level but has not been competitive as a team.”

Pistons trade Marvin Bagley III and Isaiah Livers to Wizards for Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala

The Washington Wizards yesterday acquired forward/center Marvin Bagley III and forward Isaiah Livers along with second round draft picks in 2025 and 2026 in a trade with the Detroit Pistons in exchange for forward Danilo Gallinari and forward/center Mike Muscala.

“Marvin and Isaiah are young players with positional size, high character and a competitive nature who will have the opportunity to further their development within our system and build on the positives we’ve seen from them,” said Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins. “We are excited to welcome them while also adding draft picks, allowing us to enhance our current roster and continue to position ourselves for the future.”

Bagley III (6-11, 235) holds career averages of 12.9 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting .512 from the floor in 234 games between Detroit and Sacramento. He has posted 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting .591 in 26 games (10 starts) with the Pistons this season. Bagley III was selected second overall by the Kings in the 2018 NBA Draft and went on to earn 2018-19 All-Rookie First Team honors after averaging 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in his first season. He was acquired by the Pistons via trade on Feb. 10, 2022.

Livers (6-7, 230) has compiled career averages of 6.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 94 games with the Pistons. He has averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 23 games (six starts) this season. Livers was selected 42nd overall by the Pistons in the 2021 NBA Draft.

“Danilo and Mike lived up to their well-established reputations as true professionals while providing meaningful contributions on the court during their time with us,” said Dawkins. “We’re appreciative that our young players were able to learn from them and we wish them the best moving forward.”

Gallinari, 6-10, 233, is in his 14th NBA season. In 754 career NBA games, he’s averaged 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists with New York, Denver, L.A. Clippers, Oklahoma City, Atlanta and Washington. He was drafted sixth overall in the 2008 NBA draft. He’s averaged 15-plus points in seven seasons including a career-high 19.8 points with the Clippers in 2018-19.

A native of Italy, Gallinari began his professional career in Italy and was named Euroleague’s Rising Star in 2007-08. As a member of the U-18 National Team, he helped to lead Italy to a bronze medal at the 2005 U-18 European Championships.

Muscala, 6-10, 240, is a 10-year NBA veteran. He was drafted 44th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks and traded to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a draft-night deal. In 519 career NBA games, he’s averaged 6.1 points and 3.2 rebounds with Atlanta, Philadelphia, L.A. Lakers, Oklahoma City, Boston and Washington.

The St. Louis Park, Minn., native played four seasons collegiately at Bucknell University where he was named 2011 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year following an NCAA tournament appearance. In addition, he was named First Team All-Patriot League and AP All-American Honorable Mention in 2010–2011.

Wizards sign Hamidou Diallo to 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Hamidou Diallo to a 10-day contract.

Diallo (6-5, 202) joins Washington after beginning the year with the Capital City Go-Go (the Wizards’ NBA G League affiliate), where he has averaged 18.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting .521 from the field in 20 total (showcase + regular season) games (16 starts). The Kentucky product has scored in double figures on 18 occasions for the Go-Go and totaled a season-high 30 points (12-17 FG) to go along with eight assists and six rebounds on Nov. 27 at Raptors 905.

The five-year pro has appeared in 263 career games (44 starts) for the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder, holding averages of 8.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game on .495 percent shooting from the field.

A native of Queens, New York, Diallo was selected by Brooklyn with the 45th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

Kyle Kuzma wins NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for November, 2023

The NBA today announced Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma as the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award November winner for giving back to his hometown of Flint, Michigan and hosting a special event through his foundation (Kyle Kuzma Family Foundation).

“Helping to uplift the communities that are special to me is a privilege, so being recognized for that work is a humbling experience, particularly when it takes place during the season of giving,” said Kuzma. “I’m proud to share this honor with my family and support system as well as my teammates and the entire Wizards organization, as all of us are committed to continuing to make a difference in the lives of others.”

Each month, the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award recognizes a player monthly for their outstanding work in the community.

Wizards sign Jules Bernard to two-way contract, waive John Butler Jr.

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Jules Bernard to a two-way contract.

And in a corresponding move, the team waived John Butler Jr.

Bernard has played in 39 games with the Capital City Go-Go over the past two seasons after being acquired via trade from the Motor City Cruise on December 23, 2022. Bernard finished the 2022-23 campaign appearing in 32 games for Capital City, averaging 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Bernard next appeared in the 2023 NBA Summer League and 2023 training camp with the Wizards before starting the season with the Go-Go. In eight games with Capital City this season, Bernard is averaging 21.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, with shooting splits of .475 from the field, .422 from three and .914 from the free throw line.

The UCLA product spent four years with the Bruins, averaging 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 130 career games. He went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft before signing with the Detroit Pistons and eventually joining the Motor City Cruise to begin the 2022-23 season.

Wizards get first win in a while, beat Pistons 126-107

The Wizards have now won nine straight games against the Pistons, extending the second-longest win streak against Detroit in series history (longest is 13, 2/10/68 – 1/22/70).

Washington has now claimed four straight road contests against Detroit. This marks the teams’ longest road win streak in series history (previously three games in a row from 3/7/80-1/15/81).

Washington connected at a .929 clip (26-28) from the free throw line as a team.

Washington amassed 46 bench points, outscoring Detroit 46 to 31 in that category. The Wizards have now tallied 40+ points from off the bench in three straight games.

Washington forward Kyle Kuzma scored a game-high 32 points on 10-of-23 shooting (10-11 FT), also grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out eight assists for his team-leading fourth double-double of the season.

Wizards forward Deni Avdija amassed 16 points (6-9 FG), six rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes of action.

Washington forward Danilo Gallinari tallied 16 points (5-8 FG) in 19 minutes from off the bench, knocking down 3-of-6 three-point field goals and adding two rebounds and two assists.

Wizards restructure their coaching staff for 2023-24 NBA season

The Washington Wizards recently announced their restructured coaching staff for the 2023-24 season under Head Coach Wes Unseld Jr.

“With the additions we’ve made during the offseason and the personnel that we have returning, I’m very confident that we have assembled a top-notch staff that will prioritize and facilitate internal growth and development for all of our players,” said Unseld Jr. “We are all looking forward to working as a group as we begin training camp next week.”

The Wizards added Brian Keefe and David Vanterpool as assistant coaches and Sammy Gelfand as assistant coach/analytics during the offseason, all of whom come to Washington with over 10 years of experience in the NBA. Keefe, Vanterpool and Gelfand will join returning staff Joseph Blair, Mike Miller, Zach Guthrie and James Posey.

Washington’s increased focus on player development will be led by Landon Tatum, who spent last season as associate head coach of the Capital City Go-Go. He will be joined by player development assistants Ryan Lumpkin, Joe Ajike and Pete Fusilero. Daniel Villarreal will serve as Washington’s head video coordinator along with assistant video coordinator Addison Lee.

In other recent staff additions, Cody Toppert was named head coach of the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards’ NBA G League affiliate.

Wizards re-sign Taj Gibson

The Washington Wizards have re-signed forward/center Taj Gibson.

“Taj has earned his reputation as a consummate professional and loyal teammate,” said Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins. “We look forward to him adding to the competitive atmosphere when we begin training camp next month.”

Gibson returns to the Wizards after averaging 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 49 appearances (two starts) last season. He holds career averages of 8.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in 945 games (449 starts) with Chicago, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, New York and Washington. The 14-year NBA veteran owns a career .518 field goal percentage and has shot at least .500 from the field in each of the past nine seasons (including a career-best .627 in 2020-21).

On Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma and the Wizards offense

Per NBC Sports Washington:

One aspect of the Wizards that could add intrigue and potentially make for a fun 2023-24 season is the unknown element of what they will be. The team was significantly reshaped this summer, namely with the trades sending Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis elsewhere.

What is arguably fairly clear, however, is that Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma are set up to be focal points in the Wizards’ offense. They both averaged 20-plus points per game last season and they also happen to be the highest-paid players on the team. The odds appear good; those two will be the Wizards’ top scorers this season…

Get ready to see a lot of threes from Poole and Kuzma, as both of them were top-20 last season among qualified players in 3-point attempts per game. They combined to take over 15 threes per game with Poole at 7.8 attempts per contest and Kuzma at 7.5. The Wizards as a team averaged 31.7 3-point shots last season and Poole and Kuzma could account for about half that number all by themselves. Only once in Wizards franchise history have they featured two players who averaged at least 7.0 threes attempted per game (2019-20: Beal, Davis Bertans).

FULL ARTICLE