There's no denying that prior to selection Tre Johnson in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards had plenty of interest in landing Rutgers product Ace Bailey, especially after the prospect attempted to force his way to Washington.
Washington made plenty of efforts to do what they could behind the scenes to land Bailey, and although their efforts didn't pay off, the Wizards found a hidden gem in guard Sharife Cooper during the process.
Wizards efforts for Ace Bailey opened the door for Sharife Cooper
In maybe one of the most overlooked stories of the Wizards' moves last offseason was the signing of former second-round pick Sharife Cooper.
Cooper began his career with the Atlanta Hawks after a monster freshman season at Auburn, where he averaged 20.2 points, 8.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds.
The 6-foot guard struggled during his lone season in Atlanta, with his limited reps leading to underwhelming shooting efficiency and eventually being let go by the Hawks, but that's information that most fans already know about Cooper.
However, what many don’t know is that leading up to the NBA Draft, the playmaker's father, Omar Cooper, was serving as top prospect Ace Bailey’s manager and agent during the pre-draft process.
In efforts to help persuade Bailey to come to Washington, many believed the team's move to sign Cooper to a two-way deal after a successful stint in Europe was motivation for the agent to get his client to D.C.
Dawkins signed him to try to get Ace Bailey and accidentally found a good player https://t.co/TWSHkEIG7e
— Martin Gorthot (@washedwiz) March 3, 2026
In the process though, Washington genuinely found a talented player, who's role continues to grow for the Wizards.
Sharife Cooper is turning heads
Cooper has suited up for 8 games in the G-League with the Wizards' Capital City Go-Go.
In those games, the Auburn product averaged 18.8 points, 7.0 assists and 4.1 rebounds, while shooting 47.8% from field goal range and 34.8% from beyond the arc.
G-League stats though don't always tell the whole story. Many only will give credit when players are able to put it together on the active roster.
And as of late, Cooper's done exactly that taking advantage of the increased opportunities with the team shorthanded.
In 20 games on the active roster, the 24-year-old is averaging 7.8 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds on shooting splits of 51.3% from field goal range and 38.9% from three.
Over the last two games, Cooper's minutes have went up even more, allowing him to average 18.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds, proving to head coach Brian Keefe he can be a player to contribute on a nightly basis.
Obviously, rotations will change when fully healthy, but if the recent play of Cooper has proven anything, it's that Washington may have quietly found an intriguing talent in the backcourt.