2023–24 Washington Wizards season

The 2023–24 Washington Wizards season is the 63rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 50th in the Washington, D.C. area. This is the first season since 2011–12, where the team entered the season without Bradley Beal, who was traded to the Phoenix Suns during the off-season.

2023–24 Washington Wizards season
Head coach	Wes Unseld Jr.
General manager	Will Dawkins
President	Michael Winger
Owner(s)	Ted Leonsis
Arena	Capital One Arena
Results
Record	3–20 (.130)
Place	Division: 5th (Southeast) Conference: 14th (Eastern)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	NBC Sports Washington NBC 4
Radio	Federal News Radio 106.7 The Fan
< 2022–23 2024–25 >

Background

The previous season ended in disappointing fashion, with the Wizards falling all the way to 12th in the Eastern Conference and missing the playoffs entirely. General Manager Tommy Sheppard was unceremoniously fired after the end of the season. After about a month of searching, team owner Ted Leonsis decided to appoint former LA Clippers executive Michael Winger as the President of Monumental Basketball,^[1] Leonsis' organization that oversees all pro basketball teams in the Washington, DC area including the Wizards, the Capital City Go-Go, and the Washington Mystics. Winger then brought in Will Dawkins act as the new Wizards' GM and Travis Schlenk as the Senior VP of Player Personnel, and promoted John Thompson III as Senior VP of Monumental Basketball.^[2]

At first, the team appeared ready to try building around their "Big 3" of Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Kyle Kuzma. However, the new Front Office decided to tear down and rebuild the roster shortly after getting settled in. Beal was traded to the Phoenix Suns, as one of the few destinations that would both make the space to take him and where Beal was willing to waive the No Trade Clause attached to his contract. The Wizards would receive Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, and a large list of future draft pick considerations. Porziņģis was moved in a sign-and-trade deal to the Boston Celtics as part of a three-team trade with the Memphis Grizzlies that would net the Wizards Tyus Jones, Danilo Gallinari, and Mike Muscala. Kuzma declined to pick up his Player Option, instead opting for the Free Agent market. However, Kuzma would later be lured back to Washington with a 4-year contract worth about $90 Million.

On Draft Night, the Wizards made their proposed trades (above) official, but roped in the Indiana Pacers with their Phoenix trade to move up to the #7 draft spot and take the young Frenchman, Bilal Coulibaly. The Wizards also flipped Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors, along with their 57th pick in the night's draft (which would be used on Trayce Jackson-Davis), to acquire Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, and Patrick Baldwin Jr. on top of a couple of future draft picks and cash considerations. The Wizards later traded Monté Morris to the Detroit Pistons and would later waive Xavier Cooks and Taj Gibson to be under the maximum player limit before the season started.

October

The Wizards opened their season in Indiana with a brutal loss to the Pacers, 143-120. However, they would bounce back the very next game. With their home opener in DC against Memphis, the Wizards won 113-106 in a match where they led by 25 points in the third quarter. The Wizards would finish the month with a 1-2 record.

November

The Wizards went into free-fall during this month, losing every game except for two against opponents who were close to them in the standings: the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons, with a 9-game losing streak between those two wins. Between a lack of rebounding, a porous defense, and no true Center on the team (except Daniel Gafford) able to guard against taller opponents, the team had few paths to victory. The team would either let leads slip away late in close losses, or play the end of their bench earlier in games than usual, to give them some playing time during blowouts. The month ended with the Wizards at 2-13 record for the month, 3-15 overall, fighting with the Pistons and San Antonio Spurs for the ignoble honor of holding worst record in the entire NBA for the season.

December

The Wizards continued their losing streak from the end of November, losing close games to the Magic and 76ers despite holding leads midway through the game, followed by blowouts from the Nets and 76ers where they were dominated through the entire game, including a 45-point loss against the 76ers on December 11. Jules Bernard was signed to a two-way contract from the Go-Go, and John Butler Jr. was waived in a corresponding move. Bernard picked up his first points as an NBA player in the latter match.

Draft picks

Main article: 2023 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	8	Jarace Walker	PF/SF	United States	Houston (Fr.)
2	42	Tristan Vukčević	PF/C	Serbia	Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
2	57	Trayce Jackson-Davis	PF/C	United States	Indiana (Sr.)

The Wizards entered the 2023 NBA Draft holding one first-round pick and two second round picks.^[3] After a series of moves on draft night, the Wizards swapped first-round spots with the Indiana Pacers to gain the rights to French forward Bilal Coulibaly with the 7th overall pick, sending Jarace Walker to the Pacers and a couple of future second-round picks. The team would use their #42 overall pick on the young Serbian player Tristan Vukčević. Later, the rights to Trayce Jackson-Davis (Pick #57 overall) were folded into a larger trade with the Golden State Warriors in exchange for cash considerations and Patrick Baldwin Jr.

Roster

Washington Wizards roster

• v
• t
• e

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From F 8 Avdija, Deni 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-01-03 Israel F 7 Baldwin, Patrick Jr. (GL) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2002-11-18 Milwaukee G 14 Bernard, Jules (TW) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-01-21 UCLA G 4 Butler, Jared (TW) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 2000-08-25 Baylor F 0 Coulibaly, Bilal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2004-07-26 France G/F 1 Davis, Johnny   6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2002-02-27 Wisconsin C 21 Gafford, Daniel 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 234 lb (106 kg) 1998-10-01 Arkansas F 88 Gallinari, Danilo 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 236 lb (107 kg) 1988-08-08 Italy F 16 Gill, Anthony 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1992-10-17 Virginia G 5 Jones, Tyus 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1996-05-10 Duke F 24 Kispert, Corey 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 224 lb (102 kg) 1999-03-03 Gonzaga F 33 Kuzma, Kyle 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) 1995-07-24 Utah F/C 35 Muscala, Mike 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1991-07-01 Bucknell F 97 Omoruyi, Eugene (TW) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1997-02-14 Oregon G 13 Poole, Jordan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1999-06-19 Michigan G 9 Rollins, Ryan   6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-07-03 Toledo G 20 Shamet, Landry   6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-03-13 Wichita State G 55 Wright, Delon   6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1992-04-26 Utah

Head coach Wes Unseld Jr. Assistant coach(es) Joseph Blair Zach Guthrie Brian Keefe Mike Miller James Posey David Vanterpool Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (GL) On assignment to G League (TW) Two-way affiliate player   Injured Roster Last transaction: December 8, 2023

Standings

Division

Southeast Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
Orlando Magic	16	7	.696	–	11–2	5–5	3–1	23
Miami Heat	14	11	.560	3.0	6–5	8–6	5–0	25
Atlanta Hawks	9	14	.391	7.0	3–7	6–7	3–2	23
Charlotte Hornets	7	15	.318	8.5	4–8	3–7	3–5	22
Washington Wizards	3	20	.130	13.0	1–8	2–12	1–7	23

Conference

Eastern Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	Boston Celtics *	18	5	.783	–	23
2	Milwaukee Bucks *	17	7	.708	1.5	24
3	Orlando Magic *	16	7	.696	2.0	23
4	Philadelphia 76ers	16	7	.696	2.0	23
5	Indiana Pacers	13	9	.591	4.5	22
6	New York Knicks	13	10	.565	5.0	23
7	Miami Heat	14	11	.560	5.0	25
8	Brooklyn Nets	13	11	.542	5.5	24
9	Cleveland Cavaliers	13	12	.520	6.0	25
10	Toronto Raptors	10	14	.417	8.5	24
11	Atlanta Hawks	9	14	.391	9.0	23
12	Chicago Bulls	10	16	.385	9.5	26
13	Charlotte Hornets	7	15	.318	10.5	22
14	Washington Wizards	3	20	.130	15.0	23
15	Detroit Pistons	2	22	.083	16.5	24

Game log

Preseason

2023 preseason game log Total: 3–1 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–1)
Preseason: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 10 Cairns W 145–82 Kyle Kuzma (22) Daniel Gafford (8) Delon Wright (6) Capital One Arena 6,856 1–0 2 October 12 Charlotte W 98–92 Kyle Kuzma (19) Tyus Jones (7) Davis, Kispert, Kuzma, Muscala, Poole, Wright (3) Capital One Arena 7,297 2–0 3 October 18 @ New York W 131–106 Jordan Poole (41) Mike Muscala (8) Tyus Jones (7) Madison Square Garden 18,881 3–0 4 October 20 @ Toronto L 98–134 Deni Avdija (18) Deni Avdija (7) Jordan Poole (4) Scotiabank Arena 18,426 3–1
2023–24 preseason schedule

Regular season

This became the first regular season where all the NBA teams competed in a mid-season tournament setting due to the implementation of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.^[4][5]

2023–24 game log Total: 3–20 (Home: 1–8; Road: 2–12)
October: 1–2 (home: 1–1; road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 25 @ Indiana L 120–143 Kyle Kuzma (25) Deni Avdija (7) Jones, Wright (6) Gainbridge Fieldhouse 16,004 0–1 2 October 28 Memphis W 113–106 Jordan Poole (27) Kyle Kuzma (13) Jones, Wright (7) Capital One Arena 16,191 1–1 3 October 30 Boston L 107–126 Kyle Kuzma (21) Deni Avdija (7) Tyus Jones (7) Capital One Arena 17,898 1–2
November: 2–13 (home: 0–5; road: 2–8) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 4 November 1 @ Atlanta L 121–130 Kyle Kuzma (25) Kyle Kuzma (9) Delon Wright (9) State Farm Arena 15,925 1–3 5 November 3 @ Miami L 114–121 Kyle Kuzma (22) Daniel Gafford (5) Jordan Poole (6) Kaseya Center 19,660 1–4 6 November 6 @ Philadelphia L 128–146 Kyle Kuzma (28) Daniel Gafford (7) Avdija, Jones, Poole (6) Wells Fargo Center 19,765 1–5 7 November 8 @ Charlotte W 132–116 Kyle Kuzma (33) Kyle Kuzma (9) Deni Avdija (5) Spectrum Center 14,267 2–5 8 November 10 Charlotte L 117–124 Kyle Kuzma (17) Daniel Gafford (9) Poole, Wright (6) Capital One Arena 17,602 2–6 9 November 12 @ Brooklyn L 94–102 Bilal Coulibaly (20) Deni Avdija (9) Corey Kispert (4) Barclays Center 17,732 2–7 10 November 13 @ Toronto L 107–111 Kyle Kuzma (34) Daniel Gafford (9) Tyus Jones (8) Scotiabank Arena 19,800 2–8 11 November 15 Dallas L 117–130 Kyle Kuzma (22) Daniel Gafford (9) Avdija, Kispert (4) Capital One Arena 16,632 2–9 12 November 17 New York L 99–120 Kyle Kuzma (19) Daniel Gafford (7) Jones, Kuzma (5) Capital One Arena 16,886 2–10 13 November 20 Milwaukee L 129–142 Jordan Poole (30) Daniel Gafford (5) Kyle Kuzma (13) Capital One Arena 17,746 2–11 14 November 22 @ Charlotte L 114–117 Kyle Kuzma (28) Daniel Gafford (16) Kyle Kuzma (10) Spectrum Center 16,432 2–12 15 November 24 @ Milwaukee L 128–131 Jordan Poole (26) Daniel Gafford (9) Jones, Poole (7) Fiserv Forum 17,880 2–13 16 November 25 Atlanta L 108–136 Jared Butler (13) Kyle Kuzma (7) Kyle Kuzma (8) Capital One Arena 16,276 2–14 17 November 27 @ Detroit W 126–107 Kyle Kuzma (32) Kyle Kuzma (12) Kyle Kuzma (8) Little Caesars Arena 14,346 3–14 18 November 29 @ Orlando L 120–139 Kyle Kuzma (23) Coulibaly, Poole (5) Kyle Kuzma (6) Amway Center 17,109 3–15
December: 0–5 (home: 0–2; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 19 December 1 @ Orlando L 125–130 Kyle Kuzma (27) Daniel Gafford (11) Tyus Jones (6) Amway Center 18,846 3–16 20 December 6 Philadelphia L 126–131 Jordan Poole (23) Deni Avdija (8) Avdija, Jones (8) Capital One Arena 15,568 3–17 21 December 8 @ Brooklyn L 97–124 Kyle Kuzma (17) Bilal Coulibaly (10) Deni Avdija (4) Barclays Center 16,587 3–18 22 December 11 @ Philadelphia L 101–146 Kyle Kuzma (21) Kyle Kuzma (9) Butler, Coulibaly (4) Wells Fargo Center 19,762 3–19 23 December 13 New Orleans L 122–142 Kyle Kuzma (27) Kyle Kuzma (7) Deni Avdija (7) Capital One Arena 14,080 3–20 24 December 15 Indiana Capital One Arena 25 December 17 @ Phoenix Footprint Center 26 December 18 @ Sacramento Golden 1 Center 27 December 21 @ Portland Moda Center 28 December 22 @ Golden State Chase Center 29 December 26 Orlando Capital One Arena 30 December 27 Toronto Capital One Arena 31 December 29 Brooklyn Capital One Arena 32 December 31 Atlanta Capital One Arena
January: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 33 January 3 @ Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 34 January 5 @ Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 35 January 6 New York Capital One Arena 36 January 8 Oklahoma City Capital One Arena 37 January 10 @ Indiana Gainbridge Fieldhouse 38 January 13 @ Atlanta State Farm Arena 39 January 15 Detroit Capital One Arena 40 January 18 @ New York Madison Square Garden 41 January 20 San Antonio Capital One Arena 42 January 21 Denver Capital One Arena 43 January 24 Minnesota Capital One Arena 44 January 25 Utah Capital One Arena 45 January 27 @ Detroit Little Caesars Arena 46 January 29 @ San Antonio Frost Bank Center 47 January 31 L.A. Clippers Capital One Arena
February: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 48 February 2 Miami Capital One Arena 49 February 4 Phoenix Capital One Arena 50 February 7 Cleveland Capital One Arena 51 February 9 @ Boston TD Garden 52 February 10 Philadelphia Capital One Arena 53 February 12 @ Dallas American Airlines Center 54 February 14 @ New Orleans Smoothie King Center All-Star Game 55 February 22 @ Denver Ball Arena 56 February 23 @ Oklahoma City Paycom Center 57 February 25 Cleveland Capital One Arena 58 February 27 Golden State Capital One Arena 59 February 29 @ L.A. Lakers Crypto.com Arena
March: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 60 March 1 @ L.A. Clippers Crypto.com Arena 61 March 4 @ Utah Delta Center 62 March 6 Orlando Capital One Arena 63 March 8 Charlotte Capital One Arena 64 March 10 @ Miami Kaseya Center 65 March 12 @ Memphis FedExForum 66 March 14 @ Houston Toyota Center 67 March 16 @ Chicago United Center 68 March 17 Boston Capital One Arena 69 March 19 Houston Capital One Arena 70 March 21 Sacramento Capital One Arena 71 March 23 Toronto Capital One Arena 72 March 25 @ Chicago United Center 73 March 27 Brooklyn Capital One Arena 74 March 29 Detroit Capital One Arena 75 March 31 Miami Capital One Arena
April: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 76 April 2 Milwaukee Capital One Arena 0–0 77 April 3 L.A. Lakers Capital One Arena 78 April 5 Portland Capital One Arena 79 April 7 @ Toronto Scotiabank Arena 80 April 9 @ Minnesota Target Center 81 April 12 Chicago Capital One Arena 82 April 14 @ Boston TD Garden
2023–24 season schedule

In-Season Tournament

Main article: 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament

This will be the first regular season where all the NBA teams will compete in a mid-season tournament setting due to the implementation of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.^[6][7] During the in-season tournament period, the Wizards will compete in Group B of the Eastern Conference, which will include the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Charlotte Hornets.

East group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	Qualification		MIL	NYK	MIA	CHA	WAS
1	Milwaukee Bucks	4	4	0	502	456	+46	Advance to knockout stage		—	110–105	131–124	130–99	131–128
2	New York Knicks	4	3	1	440	398	+42			105–110	—	100–98	115–91	120–99
3	Miami Heat	4	2	2	454	450	+4			124–131	98–100	—	111–105	121–114
4	Charlotte Hornets	4	1	3	419	473	−54			99–130	91–115	105–111	—	124–117
5	Washington Wizards	4	0	4	458	496	−38			128–131	99–120	114–121	117–124	—

Source: NBA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Transactions

Main article: List of 2023–24 NBA season transactions

Trades

June 23, 2023^[8]	To Washington Wizards Tyus Jones (from Memphis) Danilo Gallinari (from Boston) Mike Muscala (from Boston) Draft rights to Julian Phillips (No. 35) (from Boston)	To Boston Celtics Kristaps Porziņģis (from Washington) Draft rights to Marcus Sasser (No. 25) (from Memphis) 2024 GSW first-round pick (from Memphis)
	To Memphis Grizzlies Marcus Smart (from Boston)
June 24, 2023^[9]	To Washington Wizards Chris Paul (from Phoenix) Landry Shamet (from Phoenix) Draft rights to Bilal Coulibaly (No. 7) (from Indiana) Right to swap 2024 first round pick with Phoenix Right to swap 2026 first round pick with Phoenix Right to swap 2028 first round pick with Phoenix Right to swap 2030 first round pick with Phoenix 2024 second round pick (from Phoenix) 2025 second round pick (from Phoenix) 2026 second round pick (from Phoenix) 2027 second round pick (from Phoenix) 2030 second round pick (from Phoenix) Cash considerations (from Phoenix)	To Indiana Pacers Draft rights to Jarace Walker (No. 8) (from Washington) 2028 second-round pick (from Phoenix) 2029 second-round pick (from Washington)
	To Phoenix Suns Bradley Beal (from Washington) Jordan Goodwin (from Washington) Isaiah Todd (from Washington)
June 28, 2023^[10]	To Washington Wizards 2026 CHI second-round pick 2027 CHI second-round pick	To Chicago Bulls Draft rights to Julian Phillips (No. 35)
July 6, 2023^[11]	To Washington Wizards Jordan Poole Ryan Rollins Patrick Baldwin Jr. 2027 GSW second-round draft pick 2030 GSW protected first-round pick Cash Considerations	To Golden State Warriors Chris Paul Draft rights to Trayce Jackson-Davis (Pick #57)
July 6, 2023^[12]	To Washington Wizards 2027 second-round pick (from Brooklyn or Dallas)	To Detroit Pistons Monté Morris

Free agency

Re-signed

Player	Date Signed	Contract	Ref.
Kyle Kuzma	June 30, 2023	4 years, $90M	^[13]

Additions

Player	Date Signed	Contract	Former Team	Ref.
Eugene Omoruyi	July 13, 2023	Two-way contract	Detroit Pistons	^[14]
Jared Butler	July 24, 2023	Two-way contract	Oklahoma City Thunder	^[15]

Subtractions

Player	Date Left	Reason	New Team	Ref.
Jay Huff	June 29, 2023	No Qualifying Offer, UFA	Denver Nuggets
Quenton Jackson	July 24, 2023	Waived

References

1. Wallace, Ava (May 25, 2023). "Wizards hire Michael Winger, former Clippers GM, as new president". Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
2. https://www.nba.com/wizards/news/dawkins-schlenk-named-to-wizards-executive-team-thompson-promoted-to-svp-of-monumental-basketball
3. "2023 NBA Draft: Complete 1-58 order of picks". NBA.com. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
4. "NBA officially unveils format, groups for new in-season tournament". ESPN. July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
5. "In-Season Tournament 101: Rules, format and how it works". National Basketball Association. July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
6. "NBA officially unveils format, groups for new in-season tournament". ESPN. July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
7. "In-Season Tournament 101: Rules, format and how it works". National Basketball Association. July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
8. "Wizards Acquire Three Veteran Players in Three-Team Deal". NBA.com. June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
9. "Wizards Agree to Trade Beal to Phoenix, Acquire Paul, Shamet and Draft Picks". NBA.com. June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
10. "Wizards Acquire two Future Second-Round Picks". NBA.com. June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
11. "Wizards acquire Poole, Baldwin Jr. and Rollins along with a First and Second Round Pick in trade with Warriors". NBA. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
12. "Wizards acquire Second Round Pick from Pistons". NBA.com. Washington Wizards. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
13. Charania, Shams; Robbins, Josh (July 8, 2023). "Kyle Kuzma's contract worth 4 years, $90 million guaranteed". The Athletic. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
14. Lee, Albert (July 13, 2023). "Omoruyi signs two-way contract with the Wizards". Bullets Forever. SB Nation. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
15. Ibrahim, Gabriel (July 24, 2023). "Butler signs two-way contract with the Wizards". Bullets Forever. SB Nation. Retrieved July 25, 2023.