Our weekly column at FortyEightMinutes.com brings you an in-depth look at different basketball and football storylines.
This week’s edition examines the 22 former Washington Wizards who’ll suit up in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, ranking the players in terms of how much impact they’ll have this postseason.
- Former Wizards Present For 2024 Playoffs
- Fringe Contributors
- Key Contributors
- The Most Impactful Former Wizards
Former Wizards Present For 2024 Playoffs
Admiral Schofield – Magic
- Schofield, who was the Wizards’ 2019 second-round pick, is set to make his playoff debut with the Magic, though any postseason action will likely be in mop-up duty, as he won’t be part of a tightened rotation in Orlando.
Markieff Morris – Mavericks
- Morris is no stranger to the postseason, making his playoff debut with Washington back in 2017 where he helped aid the franchise to their last playoff series win. He’s since won a title with the Lakers (2020) and now, with the Mavericks, he has a chance to be part of another successful playoff team. However, that’ll be dependent on how his teammates perform since he’s unlikely to see major minutes for Jason Kidd‘s club this postseason.
Thomas Bryant – Heat
- TB, who played 155 games across four seasons in Washington, was a curious offseason addition to the Heat roster. One season into his two-year pact with Miami, he currently finds himself outside of the team’s rotation.
Mike Muscala – Thunder
- Muscala played 24 games for the Wizards earlier this season before being traded to the Pistons and upon his release, he signed with the Thunder. Perhaps he has a few end-of-game appearances for Oklahoma City this postseason but it’s unlikely that he’s a major contributor for the rising squad.
Isaiah Thomas – Suns
- IT, who had an interesting 40-game stint in Washington back in 2019 that included being ejected for confronting a Frosty-seeking-abrasive-Philadelphia fan, is technically eligible to play in the postseason. Yet, as the Suns’ tighten their rotation, the 35-year-old won’t see much action.
Delon Wright – Heat
- After a year and a half in Washington, Wright signed on with the Heat post-trade deadline and his Miami stint got off to a relatively strong start as he filled in for injured players in Erik Spoelstra’s rotation. As the team has gotten healthy, however, he’s been a mainstay outside of the rotation.
The Fringe Contributors
Alex Len – Kings
- The former No. 5 overall pick out of Maryland had a 57-game stop in Washington during the 2020-21 season, playing a minor role in the franchise’s only Play-In tournament victory and last playoff appearance back in 2021. He’s playing a similar role for the Kings this season.
Gary Payton II – Warriors
- Payton spent parts of two seasons with the Wizards, appearing in 32 games with the franchise and since leaving Washington, he’s made an impact during several playoff runs with the Warriors, including helping the franchise win another title in 2022. Golden State is in the Play-In this year and while it’s unlikely that the club makes a deep run, if they do Payton will play a role in that.
The Key Contributors
Moritz Wagner – Magic
Wagner, who played 70 games for the Wizards after arriving as part of the 2019 three-team, Anthony Davis trade, has developed into a nice rotation piece since moving to Orlando. The 26-year-old will make his playoff debut as a veteran big man off the bench for the up-and-coming Magic.
Danilo Gallinari – Bucks
At Wizards media day earlier this year, Gallinari spoke to FortyEightMinutes and other media in Washington about his goals for the 2023-24 season, explaining that he wanted to prove that he could still play in the league in his mid 30’s, coming off of an ACL injury.
As we mentioned in our Wizards’ trade deadline preview, Washington and Galliari were using the first portion of the season to ramp him up and simulate a role that he would potentially play for a playoff team. The Wizards traded him to the Pistons and he agreed to a buyout with Detroit before latching on with the Bucks.
Gallinari isn’t expected to be a mainstay in Doc Rivers‘ 2024 playoff rotation, though given Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s calf injury and Rivers’ propensity to lean heavily on vets and Gi, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that the 35-year-old forward makes some impact this spring.
Spencer Dinwiddie – Lakers
While DInwiddie’s Wizards stint only lasted 44 games, he did find playoff success after being traded to the Mavericks at the 2022 trade deadline, helping Dallas reach the Western Conference Finals as the team’s third guard in the rotation. This season, he’s playing a similar role, slotting in behind D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.
Rui Hachimura – Lakers
Hachimura showed promise in Washington after the Wizards selected him with the No. 9 overall pick, growing into the kind of player who can play a role in the postseason. Hachimura was only behind Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal in minutes per game during the Wizards’ last playoff run in 2021) and after arriving in Los Angeles last year, he was a mainstay in rotation for a Lakers’ team that made it to the Western Conference Finals. It would be more surprising if the Lakers advanced as far this postseason than it would be for the club to lose in the Play-In. Regardless, Hachimura will play a crucial role for the Lakers.
Bogdan Bogdanovic – Knicks
It’ll be interesting to see exactly how Tom Thibodeau’s playoff rotation pans out without Julius Randle. Bogdanovic, who split time at both forward spots during his 26 games as a Wizard back in 2017, has played 73% of his minutes at the four since arriving in New York at this year’s trade deadline.
Kelly Oubre – Sixers
On his fourth different franchise since departing Washington, Oubre has found some success in Philadelphia and should return to postseason play for the first time since the 2018 playoffs where he and the Wizards lost in the first round. How far Philadelphia goes this year hinges on Joel Embiid‘s health but if the big man is able to thrive on the court, Oubre’s role as a complementary piece will be an impactful one.
Monte Morris – Wolves
The Wolves’ acquisition of Morris was one of the more important trades at this year’s deadline, as it proved to give the team depth in the second unit while adding insurance of sorts in case of a Mike Conley injury. Minnesota is a serious title contender but it’ll need 48 minutes of consistent point guard play from its two veterans to make a deep run.
The Most Impactful Former Wizards
Russell Westbrook – Clippers
Westbrook, whose lone season in Washington resulted in a playoff appearance, has found the perfect role for himself at this point in his career. There’s a lot of noise about how the Clippers will fit together this postseason, though it wouldn’t be surprising at all if they win a few playoff series with Westbrook manning the second unit.
Daniel Gafford – Mavericks
The Mavericks’ trade for Gafford didn’t get the initial fanfare it deserved, though ass we mentioned in our Wizards’ 2024 trade deadline preview, Gafford was the team’s best player and he was ready to make an impact for a playoff team. He’s sporting a 25.2 PER in 21.8 minutes per game since arriving in Dallas and he’ll play a major role in the Mavericks’ highly anticipated postseason run.
Bobby Portis – Bucks
Portis, who only played in 28 games for the Wizards after arriving as part of the Otto Porter Jr. trade in 2019, has been a crucial rotation piece for the Bucks over the past few years and he’ll continue to be such during the team’s 2024 playoff run.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Nuggets
Following his lone season with the Wizards, KCP arrived in Denver and has started for the Nuggets ever since, including during the franchise’s championship run last year. You could make a case that Caldwell-Pope is the former Wizards who will make the most impact this postseason given Denver’s lofty expectations.
Kristaps Porzingis – Celtics
Traded from Washington to Boston this past offseason, Portizingis has thrived as Boston’s stretch five. The Celtics are the clear favorites in the Eastern Conference and Kristaps Porzingis‘ presence is part of the reason.
Bradley Beal – Suns
For Bradley Beal and the Suns, arriving to the postseason healthy with a chance at the NBA title is exactly what a successful regular season looks like. Despite some pessimistic buzz surrounding Phoenix, the team has a real shot at making the NBA Finals, and Beal, who led Washington to five postseason appearances, will have the most impact among former Wizards in the 2024 NBA playoffs.
