Washington
Wizards ROSTER
4-23 • 15th in EASTERN CONFERENCE
| NAME | POS | AGE | SALARY | HT | WT | COLLEGE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #20 | AlexSarr | F | 19 | $11,245,680 | 7' 0" | 224 lbs | N/A | |
| #16 | AnthonyGill | F | 32 | $2,237,691 | 6' 8" | 230 lbs | VIRGINIA | |
| #0 | BilalCoulibaly | F-G | 20 | $6,945,240 | 6' 8" | 195 lbs | N/A | |
| #8 | CarltonCarrington | G | 19 | $4,454,880 | 6' 4" | 195 lbs | PITTSBURGH | |
| #24 | CoreyKispert | F | 25 | $5,705,887 | 6' 6" | 224 lbs | GONZAGA | |
| #4 | JaredButler | G | 24 | N/A | 6' 3" | 193 lbs | BAYLOR | |
| #1 | JohnnyDavis | G | 22 | $5,291,160 | 6' 4" | 195 lbs | WISCONSIN | |
| #17 | JonasValančiūnas | C | 32 | $9,900,000 | 6' 11" | 265 lbs | N/A | |
| #13 | JordanPoole | G | 25 | $29,651,786 | 6' 4" | 194 lbs | MICHIGAN | |
| #9 | JustinChampagnie | G-F | 23 | N/A | 6' 6" | 206 lbs | PITTSBURGH | |
| #33 | KyleKuzma | F | 29 | $23,522,727 | 6' 9" | 221 lbs | UTAH | |
| #18 | KyshawnGeorge | G | 21 | $2,825,520 | 6' 7" | 209 lbs | MIAMI (FL) | |
| #15 | MalcolmBrogdon | G | 32 | $22,500,000 | 6' 4" | 229 lbs | VIRGINIA | |
| #35 | Marvin BagleyBagley | F-C | 25 | $12,500,000 | 6' 10" | 235 lbs | DUKE | |
| #7 | PatrickBaldwin | F | 22 | $2,448,840 | 6' 9" | 220 lbs | MILWAUKEE | |
| #22 | RichaunHolmes | F | 31 | $12,648,321 | 6' 9" | 235 lbs | BOWLING GREEN | |
| #14 | SaddiqBey | G-F | 25 | $6,440,678 | 6' 7" | 215 lbs | VILLANOVA | |
| #00 | TristanVukčević | C | 21 | N/A | 6' 11" | 223 lbs | N/A |
Current Wizards Roster Status
The Washington Wizards made a host of changes to their squad in the offseason (and towards the early part of the 2020-21 campaign itself).
Bradley Beal was once again a highly sought-after trade target by opposing teams, but the Wizards were able to fend off any and all interested parties. In a rather surprising turn, it was long-time cornerstone John Wall who made his way out of D.C. as part of a blockbuster deal with the Houston Rockets that brought former league MVP Russell Westbrook to Washington. Parting ways with Wall was not an easy pill to swallow for the Wizards faithful, but the arrival of Westbrook certainly softened that blow.
Aside from Wall, the Wizards also said goodbye to a few other players via free agency. This includes Jerian Grant, Ian Mahinmi, and Shabazz Napier. With players going out, they also brought in a few warm bodies with Robin Lopez and Raul Neto, who both signed one-year deals.
The Wizards did a commendable job in keeping sharp-shooting forward Davis Bertans in Washington, with the 28-year-old putting pen to paper on a new five-year contract worth $80 million.
Washington also had a lottery pick in their possession, which they used to draft Deni Avdija as the ninth overall pick. The 6-foot-9 power forward of Israeli descent plied his trade last season overseas with Maccabi Tel-Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He was one of the highly-touted prospects in the draft, and the Wizards could actually call themselves fortunate that Avdija fell all the way to the ninth spot.
The Wizards field a starting five of Westbrook, Beal, Avdija, the highly-promising Rui Hachimura, and Thomas Bryant. Unfortunately, Bryant tore the ACL on his left knee early in the season, which put an end to his campaign. Bertans, Ish Smith, Troy Brown, Raul Neto, Robin Lopez, Jerome Robinson, and Moritz Wagner will be Washinton's key players on the second unit.
By trading away a long-time servant in Wall, the Wizards have officially turned a page of their franchise’s history. The new era in D.C. begins now.
washington wizards Team Analysis
Offense
—The Wizards have one of the most explosive scorers in all of the NBA on their roster in Bradley Beal, so it isn't surprising that in terms of points per game, Washington actually rank third overall across the league at 116.7 points per game. They have been pretty efficient too, making 47.5 percent of their shots as a unit, which is 10th in the NBA.
Behind Beal's 7.7 free-throw attempts per game, the Wizards currently lead the NBA in free-throws made (20.2) and attempted (26.2) per game.
Three-pointers have not been their strong suit though, as the Wizards average just 10.2 triples per game, which is a lowly 28th in the NBA. Behind their triple-double machine in Russell Westbrook, this team ranks 13th in the league in assists (25.5 per game).
Defense
—While the Wizards may have their strengths on the offensive end, the same cannot really be said about their defense. Washington allows the most points to their opponents in the NBA on a per-game basis with 118.6 points per contest. The Wizards allow the third-most field goals in the entire league (43.2), and they also allow opponents to shoot 47.3-percent from the field (ninth).
Russell Westbrook leads the team in rebounding with 11.2 boards per game. As a team, they collect a respectable 45.1 rebounds per contest (ninth).
Rim protection is another Achilles heel for the Wizards, as they average just 4.1 blocks per contest, which is 28th in the NBA. They produce 7.4 steals per contest as a unit (18th) and force 14.7 turnovers from opponents per game (11th).
Coaching
—The Wizards' head coach is Scott Brooks. He's been with the team since the 2016-17 season and is now on his fifth year in Washington. After a strong start to his tenure with the Wizards where he led the team to back-to-back trips to the playoffs, the past two years have been forgettable for both Brooks and the team. In his first five years with the club, Brooks holds a regular-season record of 183-207.
Prior to taking over in Washington, Brooks served as the head coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he bagged the Coach of the Year award in 2010. Brooks was also previously an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets, the Sacramento Kings, and the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder.
Brooks has a sizable coaching staff working under him. The Wizards have nine assistant coaches listed for the 2020-21 season. This includes Mike Longabardi, Robert Pack, David Adkins, Jarrell Christian, Corey Gaines, and Mike Terpstra. Assistant coaches for player development are Alex McLean and Kamaran Sufi, while Dean Oliver is the assistant coach in charge of analytics.
Top washington wizards Roster Questions
Who Did The Wizards Recently Sign?
—Washington's most recent signing comes in the form of 6-foot-8 center Jordan Bell.
Bell, 26, signed his second 10-day contract with the team on January 26. The Wizards brought him on to address their needs in the frontcourt, but Bell's role with the team is nothing more than a backup.
Bell is a one-time NBA champ, having been part of the Golden State Warriors' 2018 title run.
Who Are The Wizards Targeting In Free Agency?
—The Wizards were not one of the teams that brought in a big name during the offseason via free agency. In fact, Washington's most significant off-season free-agent signing was veteran big man Robin Lopez, who put pen to paper on a one-year deal worth $7.3 million.
The Wizards also added 6-foot-1 point guard Raul Neto on a single-season deal, and they signed undrafted 28-year-old rookie Anthony Gill.
Instead of taking the free agency route, the Wizards bolstered their squad via trade. They sent long-time Washington servant John Wall to the Houston Rockets in exchange for former MVP Russell Westbrook. The Wizards also drafted the highly-touted Deni Avdija as the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Who Did The Wizards Most Recently Trade For?
—The Wizards were involved in a three-team deal during the trade deadline that included the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls.
As part of the deal, the Wizards added Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchinson from the Bulls. In exchange, Washington sent Moritz Wagner to Boston, while Troy Brown Jr. made his way to Chicago.
Gafford is 22 and Hutchinson is 24, and should the Wizards decide to keep both players beyond this season, the pair could fall within Washington's new timeline if they go for a full-on rebuild.
What Is The Best Wizards Roster Of All-Time?
—You could argue that the Michael Jordan-led Wizards during the 2001-02 or the 2002-03 seasons were two of the best teams the Wizards ever fielded simply because they both had Michael Jordan.
However, if you look at the history books, the only time the Wizards won an NBA championship was in 1978 as the Washington Bullets. Due in large part to the unprecedented success of that team, it’s hard to deny that the ‘78 Bullets were the franchise's GOAT lineup.
The 1977-78 Bullets squad was led by the legendary trio of Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, and Bob Dandridge. Playing alongside them were the likes of Mitch Kuphack, Kevin Grevey, Phil Chenier, and Tom Henderson. Supporting cast members included Larry Wright, Charles Johnson, and Greg Ballard.
The great Dick Motta was the head coach of the Bullets at that time, as he guided his team to victory over the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1978 NBA Finals after a hard-fought seven-game series.
What Is The Wizards' Salary Cap?
—According to spotrac, the Wizards are currently operating with a total cap of $129.5 million. That's roughly $20.4 million over the league-mandated cap.
Offseason recruit Russell Westbrook is the team's highest paid player for 2020-21, with the former MVP set to pocket a whopping $41.4 million this term. Bradley Beal comes in as a distant second with a salary of $28.8 million. Between them, this dynamic duo already accounts for nearly half of the team's entire payroll.
At $15 million, Davis Bertans is the only other Wizards player earning above the $10-million mark. Thomas Bryant ($8.3 million) and Robin Lopez ($7.3 million) round out the Top 5.
Highly-touted youngsters Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija are pocketing $4.7 million and $4.5 million this year, respectively.
