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Washington Wizards 2023-24 preseason schedule

The Washington Wizards announced today the team’s four-game 2023 preseason schedule, which features two home games at Capital One Arena.

Washington will host the Cairns Taipans of the Australian National Basketball League at Capital One Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 10, to tip off the 2023 preseason slate and will follow that with a visit from the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, Oct. 12. The Wizards will conclude preseason play with a two-game trip with visits to New York on Oct. 18 and Toronto on Oct. 20. The team will begin regular season play on Oct. 25 at Indiana and will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 28 for the home opener.

Wizards sign guard Jared Butler to two-way contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Jared Butler to a two-way contract.

Butler (6-3, 195) has appeared in 48 career NBA games (two starts) with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2022-23) and Utah Jazz (2021-22), recording career averages of 4.1 points and 1.5 assists in 9.1 minutes per game.

Butler appeared in six games (one start) for the Thunder last season, averaging 6.2 points and 1.3 assists while shooting .469 from the field and .500 from three-point range. He also played in 27 games (all starts) with the Grand Rapids Gold and Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League during the 2022-23 season, posting averages of 16.7 points, 6.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Originally selected with the 40th overall pick by Utah in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Baylor University, Butler averaged 3.8 points and 1.5 assists in 42 games (one start) with the Jazz in 2021-22 while also posting 18.3 points and 6.0 assists in three games for the Salt Lake City Stars, the team’s NBA G League affiliate. He was the first consensus All-America First Team selection in Baylor history after leading the Bears to the 2021 NCAA National Championship.

Wizards trade Monte Morris to Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have acquired guard Monte Morris in a trade with the Washington Wizards for future draft considerations.

The Wizards acquired a 2027 second round pick from Detroit (the more favorable of the picks from Brooklyn and Dallas that Detroit previously acquired).

Washington also generated a traded player exception in the deal.

Morris, 6-2, 183, averaged 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 27.3 minutes per game while shooting 48% from the field and 38.2% from 3-point range with the Wizards last season. His 5.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game marked single-season career-highs and his 5.43 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked second in the NBA during the 2022-23 season. Since entering the league in 2017-18, Morris’ career 48.1% field goal percentage ranks eighth-best among all guards in the NBA (min. 2000 field goal attempts).

Drafted 51st overall by Denver in the 2017 NBA Draft, Morris played five seasons for the Nuggets and averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 assists in 25.2 minutes per game while shooting 39.4% from behind-the-arc. The Flint, Mich., native played four seasons at Iowa State University where he was a three-time All-Big 12 selection. In high school, Morris led Flint Beecher to back-to-back Class C Michigan state titles in 2012 and 2013 and won Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award in 2013.

Three-team NBA trade sends Kristaps Porzingis to Celtics, Marcus Smart to Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, June 23 acquired guard Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade also including the Washington Wizards.

As part of the deal, the Grizzlies traded guard Tyus Jones to the Wizards and traded the draft rights to guard Marcus Sasser (25th overall) and a future first round draft pick to the Celtics.

Washington traded center Kristaps Porzingis to Boston for forward Danilo Gallinari, center Mike Muscala and the draft rights to forward Julian Phillips (35th overall).

A nine-year NBA veteran, Smart (6-3, 220) has competed in 581 regular season games (360 starts) and has averaged 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.0 minutes since he was selected by the Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma State. The 29-year-old Texas native holds career playoff averages of 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 33.1 minutes in 108 games (73 starts), helping the Celtics make three trips to the conference finals and advance to the 2022 NBA Finals.

“Tyus, Danilo and Mike are talented players accustomed to winning,” said Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins. “They bring professionalism, high basketball intelligence, and a team-first mentality. We are delighted they are Wizards.”

Jones, an eight-year NBA guard, is coming off a career season with Memphis, where he set career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (2.5) and assists (5.2) per game in 80 games played (22 starts). On the season, Jones dished 417 assists, the second-most for Memphis, to just 74 turnovers, giving him the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA last season at 5.63. He has appeared in 535 career games with Minnesota and Memphis and holds career averages of 6.8 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game.

Gallinari was drafted sixth overall by the New York Knicks in 2008 and has also played with Denver, the L.A. Clippers, Oklahoma City and Atlanta in his 13-year NBA career. He signed with the Celtics during the 2022 offseason before suffering a season-ending left ACL injury while playing for the Italian national team in a FIBA World Cup qualifier in August. Gallinari last appeared during the 2021-22 season with the Atlanta Hawks, where he averaged 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 66 games. He holds career averages of 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds over 728 games while shooting .382 from three-point range.

Muscala is a 10-year NBA veteran that has played for Atlanta, Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City and Boston. He holds career averages of 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting .457 from the field and .379 from three-point range. Muscala was traded from Oklahoma City to Boston at the 2023 trade deadline and played 20 games for the Celtics to close the season, shooting .472 from the field and .385 from beyond the arc in 16.2 minutes per game.

Porzingis, who was originally acquired by Washington at the 2022 trade deadline from the Dallas Mavericks, averaged 22.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in 82 total games with the Wizards.

“Kristaps is a true professional and an exceptionally talented player who established a lasting reputation during his time with the organization,” said Dawkins. “We thank him for his meaningful contributions and we wish him great success in Boston.”

Suns trade Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and draft picks to Wizards for Bradley Beal

The Washington Wizards on Saturday, June 24 acquired guards Chris Paul and Landry Shamet, four first round pick swaps (2024, 2026, 2028 and 2030) and six second round picks (2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2030) from the Phoenix Suns as part of the agreement to trade guard Bradley Beal to Phoenix.

“Bradley leaves a legacy and impact that will continue to be felt by those he helped during the 11 seasons we watched him develop into a cornerstone of our on-court and off-court efforts,” said Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder and CEO Ted Leonsis. “We appreciate and respect the place he holds in our franchise’s history and we’re proud that he established himself as a star player, community leader and family man in Washington, D.C.”

Beal leaves as the franchise’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (1,514) while ranking second in total points (15,391), second in steals (772) and third in games played (695). He also ranks in the franchise’s top five in minutes played, assists and free throws with averages of 22.1 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game during his 11 seasons with the Wizards. Beal earned three All-Star selections, was named All-NBA Third Team in 2020-21 and was named the 2018-19 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award winner.

“From afar, I’ve admired Bradley as an All-NBA player and a difference-maker in his communities,” said Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger. “We were pleased to work together to find a deal that moved us closer to our goal of eventually competing for championships while getting Bradley to a place where he’ll be able to do so immediately. We wish Bradley and his entire family the best of luck in Phoenix and thank him on behalf of the organization, the fans and the city of Washington for his immeasurable contributions.”

Shamet owns career averages of 8.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting .388 from three-point range in 302 games with Philadelphia, the LA Clippers, Brooklyn and Phoenix. He averaged 8.7 points, a career-high 2.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 40 games with the Suns last season, raising his numbers to 11.1 points, 3.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds in nine games as a starter. The five-year veteran was originally drafted by the Sixers with the 26th overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft and was named to the 2019 NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

“Landry has a well-deserved reputation as a connector and positive influence in the locker room in addition to his abilities on the court,” said Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins. “He will be a valuable contributor to our organization.”

Guard Jordan Goodwin and forward Isaiah Todd will also go from Washington to Phoenix as part of the deal, while Phoenix’s 2028 second round pick along with the Wizards’ 2029 second round pick and the draft rights to Jarace Walker (the eighth pick in the 2023 NBA Draft) will go to Indiana for the draft rights to Bilal Coulibaly (the seventh pick in the 2023 NBA Draft).

Goodwin averaged 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 62 games for the Wizards this season. He was originally signed as a two-way player before being converted to a regular contract on Feb. 24. Todd averaged 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in 18 games for the Wizards over the past two seasons. His draft rights were originally acquired as part of a five-team trade on Aug. 6, 2021.

Chris Paul being traded to the Warriors

Via the Bay Area News Group:

Chris Paul — yes, that Chris Paul — is now a Golden State Warrior. He was traded Thursday by Washington for Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, and draft picks.

It’s going to take a while for us to collectively wrap our heads around this one.

But at the core of it all is the well-known fact that everyone can overlook things when they’re desperate.

The Warriors were desperate to rid themselves of Poole. The four-year, $123 million contract extension he signed before the start of last season was proven to be a mistake for the team. Not only did Poole fail to perform like a nine-figure player and future face of the franchise this past season — particularly in the playoffs — but the emotional damage that rippled through the team following Draymond Green’s punch of Poole in the preseason never healed.

Three-team trade will reportedly send Kristaps Porzingis to Celtics, Marcus Smart to Grizzlies

Via ESPN.com:

The Washington Wizards are completing a three-way deal with the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies that will send Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics and Tyus Jones to the Wizards, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Grizzlies are sending the No. 25 pick on Thursday night and a 2024 first-round pick to the Celtics, sources told Wojnarowski.

The Celtics are sending the 35th pick on Thursday to the Wizards in the deal, sources told Wojnarowski.

Rumor: Clippers, Wizards and Celtics trade discussion

Via the LA Times:

The Clippers are deep in negotiations to make their first roster alterations ahead of the next NBA season.

By Wednesday afternoon, the team remained in discussions toward a three-team trade that, if completed, would send the expiring contract of forward Marcus Morris Sr., the former starter who had lost his rotation spot late last season, promising but little-used forward Amir Coffey and the 30th pick in Thursday’s NBA draft to Washington, and take back guard Malcolm Brogdon from Boston, according to a person briefed on the trade talks but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Wizards fire President and GM Tommy Sheppard

Statement from Ted Leonsis, Founder, Principal Partner, Chairman & CEO, Monumental Sports & Entertainment:

Tommy Sheppard was relieved from his duties as General Manager and President of the Washington Wizards. Failure to make the playoffs the last two seasons was very disappointing to our organization and our fans.

A search for new leadership will begin immediately for an executive from outside the organization.

I would like to thank Tommy for his dedication to the Wizards organization and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Per the Washington Post, “Sheppard’s downfall was Washington’s inability to progress during his tenure despite multiple roster revamps and a new coach. The team finished 35-47 for the second consecutive season and missed the postseason for the fourth time in five years. Overall, the team went 129-179 under his leadership, a winning percentage of just .419. Sheppard took over the team from longtime general manager Ernie Grunfeld in an official capacity in July 2019 and led the Wizards during a time of great change both within the organization and for the NBA broadly.”

Wizards sign Xavier Cooks to multi-year contract

The Washington Wizards have signed Xavier Cooks to a multi-year contract.

“We welcome Xavier to the Wizards organization as a very intelligent, high-energy player that will add athleticism to our squad while being a great teammate,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He left a lasting legacy in the NBL to pursue his dream to play in the NBA and we feel he will be an excellent addition now and in the future.”

Cooks, a 6-8, 183-pound forward from Wollongong, Australia, has played five professional seasons overseas since graduating from Winthrop in 2018. Cooks began his international career in Germany with s.Oliver Baskets before transitioning to the National Basketball League of Australia, where he has played for the Sydney Kings each of the last four seasons. Cooks was named the 2022 Grand Final MVP, as well as the 2023 NBL MVP, where he has averaged 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 36 games, leading Sydney to its second-straight NBL title.

Cooks played his collegiate basketball at Winthrop from 2014-18, leaving as the school’s all-time leading rebounder and third all-time leading scorer after competing in 127 games. He also led Winthrop to a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017 and was named the 2017-18 Big South Conference Player of the Year.