The Washington Wizards are looking to clear its logjam at point guard by moving on from two veterans the team acquired last offseason. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports the Wizards are seeking draft compensation for Monte Morris and Delon Wright.
The Wizards have embarked on a rebuild that started with trading cornerstone Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns after 11 seasons in Washington. Beal waived his no-trade clause that allowed the Wizards to ship him to the Suns in a package that returned 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul.
Paul is looking to win a championship, and the Wizards are far from those aspirations. Thus, the Wizards are trading Paul to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for a package that includes 24-year-old Jordan Poole.
Washington also acquired 27-year-old point guard Tyus Jones in a three-team trade from the Memphis Grizzlies. Jones expects to start, while Poole will be more of a combo guard.
Poole is considered the current centerpiece of the Wizards’ rebuild. But he may not be alone. Washington also has last year’s first-round draft pick Johnny Davis, who is more of a combo guard. The Wizards then added 6-foot-8 Frenchmen Bilal Coulibaly, who views himself as a combo guard, in the first round of last week’s draft.
Washington is focusing on the future. They want to play Poole, Jones, Coulibaly, and Davis to discover their upside. That’s more imperative than giving playing time to Morris and Wright at the expense of the young players.
Besides, Morris and Wright could be more contributing to contending teams. Morris spent his first five seasons with the Denver Nuggets. But Denver traded him to the Wizards last summer to acquire Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope was integral in the Nuggets winning the NBA championship this season.
Morris started 61 games for the Wizards this past season. He averaged 10.3 points on 48% from the field and a career-high 5.3 assists per game. His 5.4 assist-to-turnover ratio tied with, ironically, Tyus Jones for best in the NBA in 2022-23.
Wright played 50 games due to a hamstring injury. Wright averaged 7.4 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 steals. He had an All-Defensive-caliber season but he got left off the team in large for missing 32 games.
Morris and Wright will likely land somewhere they can play more and contribute to a winning team. For now, the Wizards are pushing forward with a rebuild. Their primary four games are under 28 years old, including three being 24, 21, and 18 years old.
