Category: Washington Wizards Blog

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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.

Wizards sign Jamaree Bouyea to 10-day contract

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Jamaree Bouyea to a 10-day contract.

Bouyea, a 6-2, 180-pound rookie from the University of San Francisco, recently completed a 10-day contract with the Miami Heat where he averaged 3.8 points in four games. After completing Summer League and training camp with Miami, Bouyea joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League, where he has played in 34 games (32 starts), averaging 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Bouyea recorded Sioux Falls’ lone triple-double of the season on November 26 at Wisconsin, tallying 27 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.

A native of Salinas, California, Bouyea went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. He left San Francisco as the Dons’ all-time leader in wins (98) and games played (160), while finishing fifth in total points with 1,718.

Wizards sign Jay Huff to two-way contract

The Washington Wizards have signed forward/center Jay Huff to a two-way contract.

Huff (7-1, 240 pounds) played in four career NBA games while on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2021-22 season. He has appeared in 47 games with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League over the last two years, averaging 15.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting .638 from the field. Huff currently leads the NBA G League with 3.4 blocks per game this season and has tallied nine double doubles on .622 shooting from the field and .380 shooting from three.

Huff went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft before joining the Wizards for Las Vegas Summer League, training camp and preseason. He then joined the Lakers on a two-way contract before signing into the NBA G League with South Bay in January 2022. The Durham, North Carolina native played four seasons at the University of Virginia, where he finished second on the school’s all-time blocks list with 166.

Wizards sign Jordan Goodwin to multi-year contract

The Washington Wizards yesterday signed guard Jordan Goodwin to a multi-year NBA contract.

“Jordan has worked extremely hard during his time with us and that has paid off both for him and for our team with this opportunity,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He is a great example of our development program as well as the importance and impact of having the Go-Go as part of our organization.”

Goodwin has appeared in 40 games (four starts) with the Wizards on a two-way contract this season, averaging 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. The second-year guard from Saint Louis has notched at least two steals in 10 games this season, including a five-steal effort on December 9 and six-steal game on December 10, becoming the first Wizard player to record back-to-back games with five-plus steals since Larry Hughes in 2005. Goodwin netted a career-high 19 points with his five steals, four rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes from off the bench on December 9 at Indiana.

Goodwin was signed to a two-way contract with Washington after spending the 2021-22 season with the Capital City Go-Go and participating in 2022 training camp with the Wizards. Goodwin played in 46 games for the Go-Go last season, averaging 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He earned a call-up with the Wizards in December 2021, appearing in two games. Goodwin led the Go-Go in scoring and set the franchise mark with 94 steals on the season, good for the fourth-most in the NBA G League. Goodwin played in four games with the Go-Go this season, averaging 19.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

Wizards sign Quenton Jackson to two-way contract

The Washington Wizards have signed Capital City Go-Go guard Quenton Jackson to a two-way contract.

Jackson, a 6-5, 173-pound rookie from Texas A&M, has appeared in 32 games this season for the Go-Go, averaging 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game on .489 shooting from the field. Jackson has scored 20-or-more points in five games this season, including a season-high 24 on two occasions. Four of Jackson’s five 20-point outings have come during the Go-Go’s last 17 regular season contests, where he has averaged 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game on .506 shooting from the field.

The Los Angeles native went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft before competing in Summer League, training camp and preseason with the Wizards.

Wizards trade Rui Hachimura to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired forward Rui Hachimura in a trade with the Washington Wizards for guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

The Wizards acquired Nunn, a 2023 second round pick (via Chicago), the less favorable of the 2028 second round picks of Los Angeles and Washington and Los Angeles’ own 2029 second round pick from the Lakers. Washington also generates a trade exception in the exchange.

“We are excited to welcome Rui and his family to the Los Angeles Lakers,” said Pelinka. “Adding both size and depth to the wing position has been a goal, and the chance to accomplish that by acquiring a player with Rui’s two-way skills and upside was an opportunity that doesn’t present itself often. We want to thank Kendrick Nunn and his family for his time as a Laker, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

Hachimura (6’8”, 230) has appeared in 30 games for Washington this season, averaging 13.0 points (.488 FG%, .337 3P%), 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.3 minutes per game. In 177 career NBA games (118 starts) across four seasons (2019-23) with the Wizards, the 24-year-old has averaged 13.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 27.8 minutes, shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from 3-point range. Hachimura, who received All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2020, has played in five career playoff games (all starts) with the Wizards, averaging 14.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 34.6 minutes per game.

The Japan native was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after a three-year collegiate career (2016-19) at Gonzaga University. In his final season as a junior, Hachimura appeared in 37 games and averaged 19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per contest on his way to being named a consensus First Team All-American.

“Kendrick has shown the ability to be a solid perimeter threat who can provide instant offense as a reserve,” said Wizards President Tommy Sheppard. “He has proven to be a valuable contributor during his young career, most notably as key role player helping Miami make a run to the Finals.”

Nunn, a 6-3 guard in his third NBA season, holds career averages of 13.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 162 games with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He has appeared in 39 games (two starts) this season in Los Angeles, averaging 6.7 points per game. Nunn had appeared in every game for the Lakers during the month of January, scoring a season-high 23 points in a win over Atlanta on January 6 and averaging 10.5 points on .474 shooting from the field in 18.3 minutes per game.

Nunn was selected as a member of the 2019-20 All-Rookie First Team while with Miami after averaging 15.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, helping Miami to an NBA Finals appearance in the NBA Bubble. The Chicago native followed his rookie campaign by averaging 14.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 2020-21 with Miami before missing the entire 2021-22 campaign with a right knee bone bruise.