The Washington Wizards have officially began making the corresponding moves to trim their roster down to size after waiving veteran big man Richaun Holmes on Monday evening.
Holmes was traded to the Wizards along with a first-round pick ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline in a deal from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Daniel Gafford.
Holmes joined Washington after falling out of the Mavs rotation, but following a few impressive seasons in an increased role with the Sacramento Kings, many felt that the Bowling Green product could have a servicable impact with the Wizards if he was able to carve out a role similar to the one he did in Sac-Town.
However, with Washington clearly focusing on their long-awaited rebuild, the Wizards didn't have much use for Holmes during his tenure in D.C. as part of the team's young front court.
Following an abundance of offseason moves from Washington, it was clear that the Wizards were destined to make some corresponding moves in the coming weeks after multiple trades. built the team's roster count up to 19+ players.
The 31-year-old ultimately found himself as the odd man out seemingly after no trade materialized for the veteran over the last few weeks.
Holmes had long been rumored to be on the trade block for the Wizards among several other veterans including Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton as the team looks to focus on clearing a pathway for their young players to see as much time on the court as possible.
In 31 games with the Wizards this past season, Holmes averaged 7.4 points and 5.7 rebounds, while shooting 64.7% from field goal range.
Although no trade materialized for the versatile forward to land witth a contending team, that could change once he hits the free agency market.
Multiple contenders are already expected to be interested in signing Holmes on a veteran-minimun contract. Considering the available big men on the open market now, it doesn't come as a surprise to see the former Wizard already garnering interest based off of what he offers as a reliable rebounder and underrated scorer in the post.
Not to mention there's several teams who seem to be in desperate need of help in the front court heading into the 2025 season.
As for the Wizards, they move forward with a frontcourt centered around the development of Alex Sarr, Marvin Bagley III and Tristan Vukcevic.