Category: Washington Wizards Blog

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Wizards create new team award named after Dr. Edwin Bancroft (E.B.) Henderson

The Washington Wizards announced today that a new team award will be named after Dr. Edwin Bancroft (E.B.) Henderson. The annual award will go to the Wizards player most philanthropically active in the Washington, D.C. community.

FROM THE WIZARDS:

Known as the “Grandfather of Black Basketball” in Washington, D.C., Dr. Henderson was a sports historian, educator, administrator, coach, athlete, and civil rights activist. He wrote over 3,000 letters to the editor for The Washington Post and other newspapers on civil rights and race relations.

The University of the District of Columbia recently honored Dr. Henderson by renaming its athletics facility as the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Complex. To help kickstart the public fundraising efforts, Ted Leonsis, through the Leonsis Foundation, Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Washington Wizards, donated $200,000 to the fund which will support capital upgrades to the sports complex, student scholarships and sports camps for youth.

Weekly Washington Wizards notes: Feb. 28, 2022

WIZARDS TEAM NOTES

Washington is shooting the ball at a .430 clip (65-151 3PT) from beyond the arc during the last five games. This ranks as the HIGHEST mark among all teams in the NBA during that span.

The Wizards are averaging 9.0 steals per game over the last six contests which is tied with Phoenix for the best mark in the league over that span.

Wizards rookie forward Corey Kispert is tied for sixth among all NBA rookies in three-point field goal percentage (.319) this season. Kispert recorded a three-point field goal in 13 consecutive games (1/23 to 2/25), a Wizards rookie franchise record.

The Wizards returned from the All-Star break with back-to-back games versus the Spurs and Cavs. The Wizards begin a three game homestand on Tuesday, March 1.

Weekly Washington Wizards notes: Feb. 14, 2022

WASHINGTON WIZARDS TEAM NOTES

Wizards rookie forward Corey Kispert (12.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) is one of five rookies to average at least 12 points and 5 rebounds per game over the last five games.

Washington forward Kyle Kuzma (2,009) eclipsed 2,000 total rebounds for his career with 13 on 2/10 vs. BKN.

The Wizards notched their 20th ‘clutch’ win of the season on 2/10 vs. BKN, defeating the Nets 113-112. Washington’s 20 clutch wins this season is tied for the second-most among all teams in the NBA.

The Wizards will close out their five game homestand on Monday, February 14 vs. Detroit before heading out on the road for back-to-back games at Indiana and Brooklyn before the All-Star break.

At the trade deadline, Washington acquired forward-center Kristaps Porzingis from Dallas and guard Ish Smith and center Vernon Carey Jr. from Charlotte.

Guard Bradley Beal underwent successful surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament of his left wrist. He is expected to be out for the remainder of the season.

Mavericks trade Kristaps Porzingis to Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans

The Dallas Mavericks have acquired guard Spencer Dinwiddie and forward Dāvis Bertāns in a trade with the Washington Wizards for forward/center Kristaps Porzingis and a protected 2022 second round pick.

In a related move, Dallas has also requested waivers on center Moses Brown.

“Kristaps is an All-Star player whose unique talents will fit well within our system and allow him to impact the game for us in multiple ways,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He will get a fresh start with our team and provide us with the opportunity to play multiple lineups that feature size, versatility and shooting ability.”

Porzingis (7-3, 240) is in his sixth NBA season with career averages of 18.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 320 games played (319 starts) with Dallas (2019-2022) and New York (2015-2018). In 34 games (all starts) with Dallas this season, Porzingis has compiled averages of 19.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and a career-high 2.0 assists per game, tallying nine double-doubles.

Porzingis was voted an All-Star during the 2017-18 campaign with the Knicks, where he averaged a career-high 22.7 points to go along with 6.6 rebounds per game. He was also an All-Rookie selection in 2015-16 and finished second in the 2016 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year voting behind Karl-Anthony Towns. The six-year pro has also earned Player of the Week honors on two occasions in his career (Eastern Conference POW, 10/30-11/5/17; Western Conference POW, 2/24-3/1/20).

The Liepaja, Latvia, native is the fastest player to record 500+ three-pointers and 500+ blocks in NBA history (247 games) and is one of five players in league history to record 4,000+ points, 1,500+ rebounds, 400+ three-pointers and 400+ blocks before his 25th birthday.

Porzingis was originally selected with the fourth overall pick in 2015 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. Prior to his NBA career, he played four seasons with Sevilla (Liga ACB) in Spain.

Dinwiddie (6-5, 215) holds career averages of 12.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 26.3 minutes in 364 games (177 starts) with Detroit, Brooklyn and Washington. He has appeared in 44 games (all starts) for the Wizards this season and is averaging 12.6 points, a career-high 4.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 30.2 minutes.

Dinwiddie was one of three NBA players, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bojan Bogdanović, to increase their scoring average in every season between 2014-15 and 2019-20. He averaged a career-best 20.6 points for Brooklyn in 2019-20.

The Los Angeles native was selected by Detroit in the second round (38th overall pick) of the 2014 NBA Draft after a three-year college career at the University of Colorado. He earned First Team All-Pac 12 honors as a sophomore in 2012-13. Dinwiddie suffered a season-ending ACL injury 17 games into his junior year and declared for the draft after the season.

Dinwiddie will wear No. 26 for Dallas.

Bertāns (6-10, 225) holds career averages of 8.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 19.4 minutes in 365 games (39 starts) with San Antonio and Washington. He has shot 40% (723-1,807 3FG) from 3-point range and 86.1% (353-410 FT) from the foul line for his career. Bertāns saw action in 34 games for Washington this season and is averaging 5.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 14.7 minutes.

Bertāns ranked eighth in the NBA in 3-point field goals made (200) in 2019-20, behind Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who finished seventh (204).

The Rūjiena, Latvia, native was selected by Indiana in the second round (42nd overall selection) of the 2011 NBA Draft but began his professional career playing overseas in Latvia, Slovenia, Serbia and Spain before signing with San Antonio as a free agent in 2016.

Bertāns will wear No. 44 for the Mavericks.

Brown was acquired by the Mavericks from the Celtics in exchange for guard Josh Richardson on July 31. He appeared in 26 games (1 start) for Dallas in 2021-22 and averaged 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 6.5 minutes.

Wizards assistant coach Mike Batiste suspended

Washington Wizards assistant coach Mike Batiste has been suspended two games without pay by the NBA for entering the spectator stands in an attempt to confront a fan, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.

The incident occurred with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Wizards’ 121-100 loss to the Miami Heat on Feb. 7 at Capital One Arena. Batiste will begin serving his suspension tonight when the Wizards play host to the Brooklyn Nets.

Wizards trade Aaron Holiday to Suns

The Washington Wizards have acquired cash considerations in a trade with the Phoenix Suns for guard Aaron Holiday. The trade also generated a trade exception for the Wizards.

Holiday (6-0, 185), has appeared in 41 games (14 starts) for Washington this season, averaging 6.1 points, 1.9 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game. He holds career averages of 7.4 points, 2.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 223 games (55 starts) over four NBA seasons with Indiana and Washington. Holiday was originally acquired by the Wizards in a five-team trade with Indiana, Los Angeles, Brooklyn and San Antonio on August 6, 2021.

Wizards trade Montrezl Harrell to Hornets

Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced today that the team has acquired center Montrezl Harrell from the Washington Wizards in exchange for center Vernon Carey Jr., guard Ish Smith and the Boston Celtics’ 2023 second-round pick, which is top-45 protected.

“Ish returns to us as a respected veteran leader who can guide our young players as we continue to compete over the stretch run of the season,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “Vernon is a talented young player who can build on his brief but promising NBA experience while continuing to develop within our system.”

In his seventh NBA season, Harrell is averaging 14.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 46 games, including three starts, for the Washington Wizards. The Tarboro, NC, native ranks fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage (64.5%) this season and is averaging 9.8 points in the paint per game, which ranks first among NBA reserves (25th overall). In his 43 appearances off the bench this season, Harrell is averaging 13.7 points per game, which is good for the sixth-highest scoring average among NBA reserves.

The 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Harrell holds career averages of 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.6 minutes per game in 433 total games with the Rockets (2015-17), Clippers (2017-20), Lakers (2020-21) and Wizards (2021-22). He currently ranks fourth in NBA history in career field goal percentage (61.9%) and has finished in the top ten league-wide in field goal percentage in each of the last four seasons. The University of Louisville product was selected 32nd overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Carey appeared in 23 career games for the Hornets over the course of two seasons, averaging 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per game after being selected 32nd overall in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Duke University.

Smith appeared in 37 games for the Hornets this season, averaging 4.5 points, 2.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game after signing with Charlotte as a free agent on Aug. 7, 2021. For his career, the North Carolina native and Wake Forest product holds career averages of 7.6 points, 3.8 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game over 691 appearances (167 starts) with Houston, Memphis, Golden State, Orlando, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Detroit, Washington and Charlotte.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal will undergo season-ending wrist surgery

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal will undergo surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament of his left wrist and will miss the remainder of the regular season.

The decision to proceed with the surgery was mutually agreed upon by the team, Beal and his representation after a re-evaluation today by Hand Specialist Dr. Michele Carlson of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and the Wizards medical team.

“Despite the last 10 days of getting intensive treatment and rehab on my wrist, it became clear that I would not be able to compete to my standards or to the level that our team and our fans deserve,” said Beal. “I’m disappointed to have my season end this way, but we all agreed that this was the best decision. I look forward to coming back at 100% and continuing to lead this team as we work together to build toward the future.”

Per the Washington Times, “now, Beal will focus on rehab in the coming months. But he‘ll have a gigantic decision to make this summer as the three-time All-Star can opt out of his contract to reach free agency. The Wizards can offer Beal a five-year contract worth $241 million, though there’s no guarantee that Beal would accept. Beal has long said he wants to stay in Washington, but a recent report from The Athletic indicated that the 28-year-old “remains uncertain” whether the Wizards’ front office can surround him with enough talent to seriously compete in the long run.”

The injury, which Beal suffered at the 7:47 mark of the third quarter at Memphis on January 29, was originally revealed following examination and testing by Wizards Head Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. William Postma and Hand Specialist Dr. Curtis Henn of MedStar Health in conjunction with Dr. Carlson and Monumental Basketball Chief of Athlete Care & Performance Dr. Daniel Medina.

The three-time All-Star averaged 23.2 points, a career-high 6.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 40 games this season.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal out with wrist injury

Wizards guard Bradley Beal has been diagnosed with an injury to the scapholunate ligament of his left wrist. He will miss the team’s next four games, beginning with tonight’s game at Milwaukee, and will be re-evaluated in approximately one week.

The injury, which Beal suffered at the 7:47 mark of the third quarter at Memphis on January 29, was revealed following examination and testing by Wizards Head Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. William Postma and Hand Specialist Dr. Curtis Henn of MedStar Health in conjunction with Dr. Michelle Carlson of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and Monumental Basketball Chief of Athlete Care & Performance Dr. Daniel Medina.

The three-time All-Star has averaged 23.2 points, a career-high 6.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 40 games this season.