The Washington Wizards currently have 16 players on the roster. They need to get it down to 15 before the start of the regular season on October 24th. If they want to bring in Tristan Vukcevic or sign a free agent before that date, they will have to cut or trade at least one player with a guaranteed contract on the roster.
There are a few candidates that are less likely to be on the roster come regular-season opener than others:
Delon Wright
The 31-year-old combo guard was one of the most impactful players for the Washington Wizards last season. With his tenacity, strength, and defense, he added much-needed intensity to the Wizards. However, he may be rather superfluous for the 2023-24 Wizards.
Wright doesn’t fit the Wizards’ timeline, especially considering that his contract is expiring at the end of the season. He fits better on a playoff team as a defense-first guard off the bench. It would make sense for Washington to move him for draft compensation or a younger player.
Not only does Wright not make sense for the Wizards age-wise, but he is also not necessary in the rotation full of backcourt players. With Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Johnny Davis, Corey Kispert, Bilal Coulibaly, Landry Shamet, and Ryan Rollins all expecting playing time in the backcourt next season, it will be hard to find sufficient minutes for Wright.
One benefit to keeping Wright around would be for mentorship and veteran leadership. Wright is a consummate professional and can set a good example for the young Wizards. His ability to play the either guard position and take on the tough defensive assignments next to Poole or Jones would be beneficial if Washington decided to keep him around. Yet, it might be mutually beneficial for both sides if they both moved on in the offseason.
Landry Shamet
Another backcourt player who might find himself squeezed out of the rotation for the Wizards is Landry Shamet. The 26-year-old shooting guard, who was acquired from the Phoenix Suns as part of the Bradley Beal trade, has to compete with plenty of other guards that the Wizards front office has invested in.
Shamet, who has been in the playoffs every single season in his 5-year career, might prefer to be on a playoff team once again. What complicates a potential deal for Shamet is his contract paying him $10.25 million for the 2023-24 season. For playoff teams, paying a player with significant defensive weaknesses that much in salary might not be palatable. It makes the salary-matching in a deal that much more complicated as well.
However, Shamet has a reputation around the league as a premium 3-point shooter. A career 38.8% shooter from beyond the arc, Shamet is a respected outside shooter that playoff teams might want to have around as another offensive weapon, especially after he played well for the Phoenix Suns in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
There were rumors about the Miami Heat potentially being interested in Shamet’s services, but nothing came to fruition there. Even if there was a potential Shamet trade, it’s unlikely that the Wizards will receive a positive return. Considering that the next two years of Shamet’s contract is non-guaranteed, it’s also possible that the Wizards will keep him around for this season as a floor-spacer and make him a free agent in the 2024 offseason.
Anthony Gill
The 30-year-old power forward has been a good steward for the Washington Wizards organization since he joined the team in 2020. Despite playing limited minutes in all three seasons, he is a well-liked veteran with a great reputation in the locker room. Considering there aren’t many experienced players on the roster, there might be a benefit to keeping him around solely for that reason.
He will not have an expectation to play considering Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija, and Patrick Baldwin Jr. are ahead of him in the same position in the rotation. And if needed, he can come in and provide size and toughness in limited minutes. There is always a place for a smart, hard-working veteran on any NBA team.
However, Gill is also one of the easier players to cut on the team. He is due $2 million for next season, and the Wizards could easily buy his contract out to let him go to another team in the NBA or go back to a team in Europe, where he was thriving before making the jump to the NBA.
Seemingly the only way that Gill would be dealt to another NBA team is if he is part of a larger trade package, perhaps with one of the other players on this list. It’s not clear whether Gill would want to be a benchwarmer in his age-31 season. The Wizards and Gill should work together to find a solution that works for both sides. That might very well mean that Gill will not be a part of the Wizards roster for the 2023-24 season.
Regardless of what happens next season, the Washington Wizards offseason was a huge success
The Washington Wizards may be bad the next few seasons, but things are looking up for them for the first time in a while.