The Washington Wizards have agreed to a three-year contract with Jared Butler. Butler, who has spent a good amount of the season with the Capital City Go-Go, has been on a two-way contact.
With the injury to Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole has been moved to the starting point guard position. With the added minutes off the bench, Butler has shown he can be a scorer and playmaker, scoring 17 points in Tuesday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Butler also notched a 13 assists game in March against the Chicago Bulls, which is a career-high.
Since March 12th, he has started earning consistent minutes and his averages have been 7.8 points and 4.4 assists in those 14 games. Down in the G-League, Butler has been on a tear, averaging 18.6 points and 7.0 assists per game in 14 regular season appearances with Capital City.
Jared Butler fits into the Wizards future plans
The Wizards signing Butler to a three-year deal shows they are committed to him long-term. Still only 23 years old, he is still molding into his NBA role. He can fit into the rebuild with this team and grow into a very serviceable backup point guard role. He is a winner as well, winning a national championship during his time with Baylor and earning the Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 2021. That winning DNA can serve well with this team trying to build an identity.
Butler is a very good player even though he has bounced back and forth from the G-League and the NBA. With this team, he will have opportunities but that’s only if the team decides to move forward with Poole as the starting guard and Butler being the backup. This would leave Jones the odd man out, which would likely lead Washington to let him walk in free agency this offseason.
The rotation of Poole-Butler has been serving the team well over the last month so I wouldn’t be surprised if they decide to roll with it going into the next season.