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Washington adds frontcourt depth with 13-Year NBA veteran

WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Wizards announced today that they have signed 13-year NBA veteran forward/center Taj Gibson to a contract.

“Taj comes to us as a veteran big who will add toughness, experience and physicality to our team,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard.&nbsp; “We know he will always be prepared and ready when we need him, giving us valuable depth in our frontcourt.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gibson (6-9, 232) holds career averages of 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in 896 games (447 starts) with the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks.&nbsp; Gibson has shot .518 from the field for his career and has shot at least 50 percent from the field in each of the past eight seasons, including a career-best .627 in 2020-21. In 52 games (four starts) with the Knicks last season, Gibson averaged 4.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting .518 from the field.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, the 37-year-old made his NBA debut in 2009 with Chicago and was named to the 2009-10 All-Rookie Team after averaging 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 82 games. Gibson was the 26th overall selection of the 2009 NBA Draft out of USC, where he was the school’s all-time leader in blocks. During his career Gibson has been active in the community, such as co-hosting a rally with NYC to promote Black Lives Matter and gun control efforts in Bedford-Stuyvesant, leading a procession of hundreds of marchers down Fulton Street. He also hosted several host-a-family events and provided school supplies to at-need families in the Chicago area during his tenure with the Bulls.

wizards-sign-taj-gibson

Wizards sign Taj Gibson

Three-time All-Star agrees to five-year contract beginning in 2022-23

WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Wizards announced today that they have signed three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to a five-year contract beginning in 2022-23.

“Bradley has truly established himself among his peers in the NBA, the all-time greats in our team’s history and the leaders who are making a difference in the community over his 10 years with us,” said Chairman and CEO of Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment Ted Leonsis.&nbsp; “He has set a consistent example of hard work and dedication to develop into our franchise player and we are proud to show our commitment to having him continue to lead us on and off the court as he cements his legacy in Washington.”

The 10-year NBA veteran has spent his entire career in Washington, making him one of six active players to have played 10+ years with the same franchise (Udonis Haslem, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard) and one of only two players (Wes Unseld, 13 seasons) to play 10+ seasons with the Wizards franchise. Beal is the franchise’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (1,434) and is on pace to pass Elvin Hayes as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer during the 2022-23 season (he is currently second all-time in points scored with 14,321 to Hayes’ 15,551).&nbsp; He ranks third in games played with Washington at 645, trailing only Unseld (984) and Hayes (731). Beal also ranks in the franchise’s top five in minutes played, assists, steals and free throws.

“I have been blessed to call the city of Washington my home and the Wizards organization and our fans my family for the last 10 years, growing as a player, a leader, a husband and a father along the way,” said Beal. “Today represents such a special moment in my life. I could not be more grateful to have the opportunity to continue to partner with Ted, Tommy, Wes and the entire organization in moving forward to achieve our dream of bringing championships to D.C. and, just as importantly, to help our community continue to accomplish amazing things together.”

Beal narrowly lost the NBA scoring title to Steph Curry in the 2020-21 season, where he averaged a career-high 31.3 points per game on a career-high .485 shooting percentage from the field, earning an All-NBA Third Team nod. With the effort, Beal became just the sixth player since the NBA-ABA merger to average 30+ points in back-to-back seasons, joining Adrian Dantley, Michael Jordan (seven straight) Allen Iverson (twice), Kobe Bryant, and James Harden (three straight). Beal’s 34 games with 30+ points that season ranked as the fourth-most in franchise history and his 60-point effort on January 6 at Philadelphia was the second-highest scoring game in team history.

“Bradley’s level of talent, character and work ethic combine to make him one of the most remarkable players and people I have been privileged to work with over my career in the NBA,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard.&nbsp; “We have built our roster to complement his all-around game and couldn’t be more excited to have him make the commitment to keep our franchise moving in the right direction.”

The 29-year-old holds career averages of 22.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Beal is one of six D.C. athletes to be with their respective team 10+ seasons, joining Capitals Nicklas Backstrom (15), John Carlson (13), Dmitry Orlov (10) and Alex Ovechkin (17), and National Stephen Strasburg (13). He is coming off a 2021-22 campaign cut short due to a wrist injury which saw him average a career-high 6.6 assists in 40 games played.

Beal was named the 2018-19 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award winner for his off-court community initiatives, highlighted by his unique and extensive relationship with Ron Brown College Preparatory High School. Beal has continued his community efforts in the DMV, most recently with a refurbishment project for the basketball courts at Banneker Community Center in Columbia Heights.

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Wizards re-sign Bradley Beal

Seven-year NBA veteran comes to Washington

WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Wizards announced today that they have signed seven-year NBA veteran guard Delon Wright to a contract.

“Delon’s versatility as a playmaker, scorer and defender will help us solidify our backcourt rotation,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard.&nbsp; “His size allows him to play and defend both guard positions and will give us flexibility with our lineups.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wright (6-5, 185) holds career averages of 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in seven seasons and 411 games (70 starts) with Toronto, Memphis, Dallas, Detroit, Sacramento and Atlanta. The 30-year-old played in 77 games (eight starts) in 2021-22 with Atlanta, posting averages of 4.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. In his eight starts in 2021-22, Wright averaged 10.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting .492 from the field and .440 from three. Wright averaged career highs in points (10.2), rebounds (4.3), assists (4.4) and steals (1.6) per game in 2020-21 as a member of the Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings.

Originally from Los Angeles, Wright was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. He played collegiately at the University of Utah, where he was twice named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team (2014 and 2015) and became the first player in men’s basketball history to be named to the first-team All-Pac-12 in consecutive years (2014 and 2015). During the 2014-15 season with the Utes, Wright was teammates with current Wizard Kyle Kuzma. He attended Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California, which also produced Russell Westbrook, and is the younger brother of former NBA champion Dorell Wright.

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Wizards sign Delon Wright

WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Wizards announced today that they have acquired Monte Morris and Will Barton III in a trade with Denver that sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith to the Nuggets.

"We’re very excited to add Monte and Will as proven players at the point guard and shooting guard positions, two areas that were top priorities for us to address during this offseason,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard.  “Monte has steadily improved his all-around game and is coming off a career year while Will has been a consistent scorer and three-point threat during his time in Denver, and both are obviously familiar with Coach Unseld’s system and style.”

Morris (6-3, 175), a five-year NBA veteran, comes to Washington after averaging career-bests of 12.6 points, 4.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 75 games (74 starts) in 2021-22. Morris topped 20 points on seven different occasions last year and dished at least five assists in 34 games while limiting turnovers, as he finished fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.27:1.

In 280 career games (105 starts) with the Nuggets, Morris has averaged 10.5 points and 3.7 assists per game on .481 shooting from the field and .394 shooting from three with a 4.8:1 assist to turnover ratio. He has averaged double-digit scoring over each of the past two seasons and has shot at least .450 from the field and .370 from three-point territory in each of the past four. He ranked 29th in three-point percentage last season (.395) and connected on multiple three-pointers in 36 games. Morris shot a career-best .414 from three-point range in 2018-19, 13th best in the NBA.&nbsp; The native of Grand Rapids, MI, played four years at Iowa State, leaving as the Cyclones’ all-time winningest player with 100 victories before being selected 51st overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by Denver.

Barton III (6-6, 190) has played 10 NBA seasons with Portland and Denver, appearing in 623 games (284 starts) and averaging 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting .362 from three-point range. In his seven-and-a-half seasons in Denver after being acquired at the 2015 trade deadline, Barton III averaged 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game and leaves the Nuggets as the franchise’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (804).

In 71 games (all starts) with the Nuggets last season, Barton III averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists in 32.1 minutes per contest. He shot .438 from the field and .365 from three-point territory while attempting a career-high 6.1 three-pointers per game. The 31-year-old guard scored in double-figures in 57 games and totaled 20 or more points on 17 occasions. The Memphis product averaged 10+ points in every season with Denver (2015-2022) and has shot .360 or better from three-point range in five of the last six seasons. The Baltimore native was originally selected with the 40th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by Portland.

Morris and Barton III combined to average 27.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game on .444 shooting from the field and .407 shooting from three during the 2021-22 NBA Playoffs.

Caldwell-Pope started in 77 games in his lone season in Washington after being acquired as part of the five-team deal from the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 13.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. In his second stint in Washington, Ish Smith averaged 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in 28 games after being acquired at the trade deadline from Charlotte.

“We wish KCP and Ish and their families the very best and we thank them for their time with the Wizards,” said Sheppard.&nbsp;

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Wizards acquire Morris and Barton in trade with Denver

WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Wizards announced today that they have re-signed forward Anthony Gill, bringing him back for his third season with the team.

“AG provides us with additional frontcourt depth and is the epitome of the type of player we look for in building our team,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard.&nbsp; “He is a true professional, a leader in the court in the community and is always ready to contribute on the court in a variety of ways when his number is called.”

Gill has appeared in 70 games (four starts) in his two seasons in Washington, averaging 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. In his 10.5 minutes per game in 2021-22, Gill shot .569 from the field and .538 from three. He scored a career-high 15 points in a win over Brooklyn on February 10, going 6-7 from the field while adding two rebounds and a steal.

Gill was named the recipient of the inaugural Washington Wizards E.B. Henderson Team Award in April. He received the honor in recognition for his work in the Washington, D.C., community.

The native of Charlotte, NC, &nbsp;played the previous three seasons before signing with Washington with BC Khimki in Russia, compiling overall averages of 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting .572 from the field and .406 from three-point range. He was undrafted out of the University of Virginia, where he played from 2013-16 after transferring from the University of South Carolina.&nbsp; He finished his career as the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in field goal percentage at .582 and averaged 13.8 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting .580 from the floor as a senior.&nbsp; Gill was named All-ACC Third Team as both a junior and a senior and was named to the All-ACC Tournament Team as a senior.

Transactions

Wizards sign Taj Gibson

Wizards re-sign Bradley Beal

Wizards sign Delon Wright

Wizards acquire Morris and Barton in trade with Denver

Wizards re-sign Anthony Gill