Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported today that Corey Kispert underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. He will be out for the remainder of the season but is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of next season.
Corey Kispert had surgery today in New York City to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, the team announced. He's expected to be ready for the start of next season and recover fully, team officials said.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) March 18, 2025
Robbins pointed out that Kispert is coincidentally the second Wizard this season to tear a ligament in his thumb after Malcolm Brogdon did it earlier this season.
In a sad coincidence, Corey Kispert is the second Wizards player since October to have surgery to repair a torn ligament in one of his thumbs. During a training-camp practice in Montreal, Malcolm Brogdon tore a ligament in his right thumb. https://t.co/tXpnz7gDYC
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) March 18, 2025
Going forward, the Wizards’ season outlook is obviously unchanged. The year is already well past lost, so losing Kispert with fewer than 20 wins at this late stage of the season is relatively inconsequential.
Perhaps this injury means that Kispert has already played his last game for the Wizards.
Kispert was drafted with the 15th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft out of Gonzaga University. At Gonzaga, Kispert made a name for himself as one of the nation’s top three-point shooters, and he shot 44% from deep in each of his last two seasons in Spokane.
Through four NBA seasons, Kispert has been unable to match his collegiate shooting heights. He was one of the better shooters in the league during his second season, shooting 42.4% from deep, but he’s hovered around 37% since.
Kispert is a useful player to have on hand, but is not one who is going to swing the pendulum for any teams. He is, however, on a non-restrictive contract making around $13 million per year, making him a valuable expendable asset. There are a number of teams that should consider trading for him this offseason.
One such team is the Orlando Magic, who could use a cheap offensive pressure release valve. Orlando is an elite defensive unit, but their offense often gets stuck in the mud, an Achilles’ heel that the offseason signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was unable to mask.
The Milwaukee Bucks would also be a good destination for Kispert. Kispert’s floor-spacing ability would aid Giannis Antetokounmpo’s drives to the rim, and Kispert’s underrated cutting prowess would nicely complement Antetokounmpo’s playmaking ability.
One more team that should consider trading for Kispert is the offensively challenged Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are in dire need of any player capable of scoring the basketball, and Kispert has proven himself as a comfortable, non-ball dominant scorer at the NBA level.
It’s fair to wonder if Kispert has played his final game in a Wizards jersey.