Delon Wright will accept the Wizards buyout before signing a Heat contract.
After letting the Washington Wizards buy out the remaining portion of his contract, veteran guard Delon Wright intends to join the Miami Heat, according to Wright’s agent, who spoke with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The $8.2 million contract Wright, 31, is on is about to expire. He cannot sign with the Heat until he clears waivers. Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports that the Wizards considered dealing Wright before the deadline but decided against it after getting “underwhelming” bids for the nine-season guard. Wright played 33 games for the Wizards off the bench, averaging 4.1 points and 2.5 assists per contest. While the Heat attempt to make their second deep postseason run in as many seasons, he will provide veteran depth to the Miami backcourt behind Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro.
It was one of Wright’s most reliable shooting seasons to date throughout that campaign. The guard averaged 7.4 points in more than 24 minutes a night while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc. A career-high 1.8 steals per game was another asset he brought to the Wizards, making him a dependable defensive presence. With the Wizards in the midst of a rebuilding season in 2023–24, Wright continued to average at least one theft per game, but his playing time decreased. Less than 14 minutes a game were spent with him as the squad focused more on developing its young players.
As he joins a Miami backcourt that is becoming thinner due to injuries, he should see an increase in minutes. Rozier, who is out for the Heat due to an injured right knee, and Josh Richardson, who is rehabbing from a dislocated right shoulder, will be missed from game to game. Wright will have more opportunities each night to get used to his new squad because of those gaps in the guard rotation. Following his buyout, the Heat were allegedly not the only team interested in acquiring Wright. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said earlier on Friday that Wright’s buyout status was being watched by “several playoff contenders,” including the Phoenix Suns.
