The Atlanta Hawks made a big splash before free agency even began, landing Dejounte Murray in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs. While many pieces of analysis were filed on whether Atlanta may have overpaid in draft capital to land Murray, one potentially overlooked factor was the future of Delon Wright.
The veteran guard served an important role for the 2021-22 Hawks as a versatile player with defensive appeal but, in a world in which Murray might serve as Atlanta’s primary backup to Trae Young in addition to starting duties off the ball, Wright’s role might have diminished with the Hawks. On Thursday evening, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Wright, who has played for six NBA teams, will be landing with a seventh different franchise, joining the Washington Wizards on a two-year deal.
Free agent guard Delon Wright has agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal to sign with the Washington Wizards, his agent Greg Lawrence of @wassbasketball tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
Later, David Aldridge of The Athletic confirmed that both seasons are fully guaranteed.
Both years of Wright’s two-year, $16 million deal in Washington are guaranteed.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 1, 2022
Wright has never been an overly productive player in the box score, as evidenced by his per-game averages of 4.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 2021-22. However, he posted strong efficiency numbers for the Hawks last season, and Wright is a strongly above-average defensive guard who can scale up to provide real resistance against wings. In addition, he doesn’t need the ball to be successful, adding versatility and Wright is well-regarded as a player who does the little things to help teams win.
For the Hawks, Young and Murray project to play the majority of minutes at point guard, with 2021 second-round pick Sharife Cooper perhaps slated for a chance at a backup role. On the Washington side, the Wizards recently made a bit of a splash with the acquisition of Monte Morris, presumably bringing in the former Denver Nuggets guard to be the team’s starting at the point. Wright should slot in nicely behind Morris as a caretaker while also bringing the ability to play alongside Morris in certain lineup constructions.