The Washington Wizards have released Jonathon Simmons, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post.
Simmons, 29, was acquired by the Wizards from the Philadelphia 76ers along with the No. 42 pick overall in last month’s NBA Draft. Washington used that pick to select Admiral Schofield out of Tennessee.
Only $1 million of Simmons’ $5.7 million salary was guaranteed for the upcoming season. The Wizards were set to go over the luxury tax threshold when they acquired forward Davis Bertans from the San Antonio Spurs in a trade. However, removing Simmons’ non-guaranteed $4.7 million allows them to avoid the luxury tax.
Washington is projected to be roughly $4.1 million under the luxury tax, according to Spotrac.
Meanwhile, Simmons will go through waivers and is set to be free agent next week if unclaimed.
With Simmons gone from the picture, the Wizards now have a hole at backup shooting guard. It also opens the door for either Troy Brown Jr. or rookie Rui Hachimura to start at small forward.
