Washington Wizards Blog – Page 8 – NBA Blog

Wizards sign Delon Wright

The Washington Wizards have signed seven-year NBA veteran guard Delon Wright.

“Delon’s versatility as a playmaker, scorer and defender will help us solidify our backcourt rotation,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “His size allows him to play and defend both guard positions and will give us flexibility with our lineups.”

Wright’s deal with the Wizards is reportedly a two-year, $16 million contract.

Wright (6-5, 185) holds career averages of 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in seven seasons and 411 games (70 starts) with Toronto, Memphis, Dallas, Detroit, Sacramento and Atlanta. The 30-year-old played in 77 games (eight starts) in 2021-22 with Atlanta, posting averages of 4.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. In his eight starts in 2021-22, Wright averaged 10.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting .492 from the field and .440 from three. Wright averaged career highs in points (10.2), rebounds (4.3), assists (4.4) and steals (1.6) per game in 2020-21 as a member of the Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings.

Originally from Los Angeles, Wright was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. He played collegiately at the University of Utah, where he was twice named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team (2014 and 2015) and became the first player in men’s basketball history to be named to the first-team All-Pac-12 in consecutive years (2014 and 2015). During the 2014-15 season with the Utes, Wright was teammates with current Wizard Kyle Kuzma. He attended Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California, which also produced Russell Westbrook, and is the younger brother of former NBA champion Dorell Wright.

Wizards re-sign Anthony Gill

The Washington Wizards have re-signed forward Anthony Gill, bringing him back for his third season with the team.

“AG provides us with additional frontcourt depth and is the epitome of the type of player we look for in building our team,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He is a true professional, a leader in the court in the community and is always ready to contribute on the court in a variety of ways when his number is called.”

Gill has appeared in 70 games (four starts) in his two seasons in Washington, averaging 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. In his 10.5 minutes per game in 2021-22, Gill shot .569 from the field and .538 from three. He scored a career-high 15 points in a win over Brooklyn on February 10, going 6-7 from the field while adding two rebounds and a steal.

Gill was named the recipient of the inaugural Washington Wizards E.B. Henderson Team Award in April. He received the honor in recognition for his work in the Washington, D.C., community.

The native of Charlotte, NC, played the previous three seasons before signing with Washington with BC Khimki in Russia, compiling overall averages of 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting .572 from the field and .406 from three-point range. He was undrafted out of the University of Virginia, where he played from 2013-16 after transferring from the University of South Carolina. He finished his career as the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in field goal percentage at .582 and averaged 13.8 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting .580 from the floor as a senior. Gill was named All-ACC Third Team as both a junior and a senior and was named to the All-ACC Tournament Team as a senior.

Bradley Beal to stay with Wizards

Per ESPN.com, “All-Star guard Bradley Beal has agreed to a five-year, $251 million maximum contract to stay with the Washington Wizards, his agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports tells ESPN as NBA free agency opened Thursday. Beal, who has played his entire 10-year career with the Wizards, has now committed himself to the franchise for the duration of his prime.”

With 10th pick in 2022 NBA draft, Wizards selected Johnny Davis

The Washington Wizards selected Johnny Davis from the University of Wisconsin with the 10th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and selected Yannick Nzosa from Unicaja (Spanish ACB) with the 54th overall selection.

“Johnny proved his scoring capability and showed the ability and willingness to defend at a very high level at Wisconsin,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “His versatility, toughness and extraordinary basketball IQ stood out during our evaluation process and we’re excited to have him join our team.”

Davis (6-5, 196) earned the Big Ten Player of the Year accolade after averaging 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 31 games as a sophomore with the Badgers in 2021-22. Davis scored in double figures in all but one game, topping 20 points in 16 games, as he improved his scoring average by 12.7 points per game in his sophomore season. He also averaged 24.1 points in eight games against top-25 opponents.

In addition to his Big Ten Player of the Year honor, Davis also earned the 2022 Lute Olson National Player of the Year, Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year, was a consensus First-Team All-American and was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award. He was also selected as the Big Ten Player of the Week three times and was the Naismith National Player of the Week for the week on January 10. The La Crosse, Wisconsin, native also won a Gold Medal with USA Basketball at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia.

With the 54th overall pick, the Wizards selected Yannick Nzosa (6-10, 200), a Congolese center who spent the past two seasons with Unicaja in the Spanish ACB. In 68 total games with Unicaja, Nzosa has averaged 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting .534 from the floor. An 18-year-old with a 7-4 wingspan, Nzosa played for Stellazzurra Basketball Academy in Rome to begin his amateur career.

Former NBA All-Star player and Coach of Year Gene Shue passes away

Gene Shue has passed away. Via the Washington Times:

Gene Shue, the former Maryland Terrapins basketball star who went on to coach the [Washington] Bullets for 13 seasons, died on Sunday. He was 90.

The NBA announced Shue’s death with a statement on Monday.

“The NBA family mourns the passing of Gene Shue, a 5x NBA All-Star, 2x All-NBA selection and 2x NBA Coach of the Year,” posted the league’s official Twitter account. “Gene dedicated his life to the game and left an indelible mark as a player, head coach and executive. We extend our deepest condolences to the Shue family.”

Shue is the franchise’s leader in wins with 522 and is the only bench boss in team history to win the NBA Coach of the Year Award, doing so in 1969 and 1982.

Per the AP, “a five-time All-Star as a player for the Pistons, Shue went on to coach for more than two decades. He took the Baltimore Bullets to the NBA Finals in 1971, then did the same with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1977. He is still the record holder for the Washington-Baltimore franchise with 522 victories.”

Washington Wizards will host Hall of Fame Night on April 1, 2022

In a celebration honoring DMV NBA Hall of Fame members, the Washington Wizards will host Hall of Fame Night on Friday, April 1 when the team hosts the Dallas Mavericks at 7:00 p.m.

The first 7,800 fans attending Friday’s game will receive a Wes Unseld bobblehead featuring the classic white with red stripes Bullets jersey that launched in 1974. The championship trophy will be on the base to represent winning the 1978 NBA Championship.

This celebration caps off the September induction of former Bullets/Wizards players Bob Dandridge, Paul Pierce, Chris Webber and Ben Wallace and locally affiliated members of the NBA into the Naismith Hall of Fame. Select members of the NBA Hall of Fame from the DMV and their families will be present for a special halftime ceremony including Dave Bing, Bernard King, Spencer Haywood and Rod Thorn.

In addition, numerous Bullets/Wizards alums will be in attendance, including Phil Chenier, Drew Gooden, Harvey Grant, Jason Smith, and many more.

2022 NBA Japan Games, Sept. 30 and Oct. 2, feature Wizards vs. Warriors

The NBA and Rakuten Group, Inc., today announced that the Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors will play two preseason games in Japan in 2022.

The NBA Japan Games 2022 will take place Friday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 2 at Saitama Super Arena outside of Tokyo, marking the Wizards’ first trip to Japan and the league’s 15th and 16th games in the country.

“We are so honored to represent the NBA and the wonderful game of basketball in front of an audience of Japanese fans,” said Ted Leonsis, Founder & CEO, Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “We are particularly excited to watch Rui Hachimura play in front of his fellow Japanese citizens. We were proud to welcome him into the DC Family nearly three years ago as a dynamic young talent and have only seen his growth as a player since. And our fans across our home market in Washington D.C. have a special connection to the Japanese people – marked by our annual celebration of the gift of cherry trees given to our city by the Mayor of Tokyo over 100 years ago. Celebrating American and Japanese cultures further strengthens our bonds and so we look forward to taking on the Golden State Warriors and growing new fans of the sport we all love.”

“I am very excited to bring Wizards basketball to Japan,” said Hachimura. “I cannot wait to see the arena filled with fans getting to see NBA basketball in person.”

Washington Wizards weekly notes: March 14, 2022

WIZARDS TEAM NOTES

Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma reached 2,000 made field goals for his career during his last appearance (3/12 at Portland). Kuzma becomes just the fourth member of the 2017 NBA Draft class to accomplish this feat joining Donovan Mitchell (2,840), Jayson Tatum (2,623) and De’Aaron Fox (2,248).

Washington rookie forward Corey Kispert has connected on 3+ three-pointers in four straight games, the longest such streak by a rookie in franchise history. Kispert (78) needs to make 14 three-pointers to surpass Bradley Beal (91, 2012-13) for the most three-pointers in a rookie reason in franchise history.

The Wizards lead the NBA in field goal percentage (.495) and three-point field goal percentage (.423) since returning from the NBA All-Star break (2/25-3/14).

Washington concludes their four-game West Coast road trip on Monday, March 14 at Golden State. The Wizards will return home to face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, March 16.

Wizards sign Jordan Schakel to two-way contract, and waive Joel Ayayi

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Jordan Schakel to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, the Wizards waived guard Joel Ayayi, who was previously on a two-way contract and appeared in seven games with the team this season.

Schakel, who has played in 35 games (all starts) 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. He earned a 10-Day contract with the Wizards in December, appearing in two games for Washington.

The 6-6, 200-pound guard has averaged 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game with Capital City this season, shooting .370 from three-point range on a team-high 7.7 attempts per game. Schakel has scored at least 10 points in a team-high 31 games and his 100 made threes rank eighth overall and are the second-most by an NBA G League rookie this year.

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.

Washington Wizards sign guard Tomas Satoransky

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Tomas Satoransky.

He had just recently been waived by the San Antonio Spurs on February 26.

Satoransky (6-7, 210) returns to the Wizards, where he spent the first three seasons of his NBA career (2016-19) and was originally drafted by the team in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. In his three seasons in Washington, Satoransky played in 210 games (87 starts), averaging 6.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Satoransky notched his only career triple-double as a member of the Wizards on Jan. 11, 2019, finishing with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. He also appeared in all 16 of his career playoff games during his time in Washington.

After his time with the Wizards, Satoransky spent two years in Chicago (where he averaged career-highs of 9.9 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals during the 2019-20 season) and spent the first half of this season in New Orleans before being traded to Portland and then San Antonio. In total, he owns career averages of 7.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in 365 career games. Satoransky played three seasons in Spain after being drafted in 2012, including the final two with Barcelona, before transitioning to the NBA in 2016-17.

A native of the Czech Republic, Satoransky has represented his national team at several FIBA events including the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where he became the first Czech basketball player to serve as the country’s flag bearer.

Satoransky’s signing brings the Wizards’ roster to 17, including two-way players.