Wizards forced to cut recently-acquired player after Jared Butler signing

What to make of Washington Wizards release of Isaiah Livers

Ahead of the trade deadline this past February, the Wizards struck a deal with the Detroit Pistons that sent Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to the Pistons in exchange for Marvin Bagley III, draft compensation, and the 25-year-old Livers.

The trade has already shown to be a positive move for the Wizards during the early portion of the rebuilding process with Bagley averaging 13.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in his 24 appearances with Washington. However, along Bagley in the deal was Livers, who saw the Wizards waive his contract before logging a single minute with the team.

Formerly a teammate of Jordan Poole at the University of Michigan, Livers began to suffer from joint capsule inflammation in his right hip in mid-January, forcing the Wizards to shut him down altogether on February 26th. Livers last appeared in an NBA game on January 12th as a member of the Pistons.

In his first full season in 2022-23, Livers averaged a career-best 6.7 points in 23.1 minutes per game. However, Livers struggled to find his footing offensively during the first half of the 2023-24 season in Detroit, which motivated the team to move him before the trade deadline.

Following his release, the 6'7" forward will look to reestablish himself with an opportunity in free agency this summer. It remains to be seen if the Wizards would be interested in negotiating a new deal with Livers when the free agency window opens.