Wizards Land Delon Wright, Adding More Guard Depth and Defense

Wizards land Delon Wright, adding more defense originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Wizards added to their guard depth on Thursday night by signing Delon Wright, who should help them both with his outside shooting and defense, Washington's two biggest offseason needs.

ESPN first reported the news, which was confirmed by NBC Sports Washington. Wright, 30, comes over from the Atlanta Hawks where he played 77 games last season, starting in eight of them. He averaged 4.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 37.9% from three.

Wright has agreed to a two-year deal with the Wizards worth $16 million. Washington is giving him the majority of their mid-level exception, which allows the Wizards to sign multiple players totaling about $10.5 million in the first year of their deals.

The Wizards will be Wright's seventh NBA team. He has long been a reliable and disruptive defender at the guard position. At 6-foot-5, he is particularly good at forcing turnovers. Last season, Wright averaged 2.3 steals per 36 minutes in a bench role.

Wright appears likely to back up Monte Morris at the point guard spot. He should also be able to help in lineups featuring starting shooting guard Bradley Beal, who was re-signed to a five-year contract hours before Wright.

Beal likely remembers going up against Wright in the 2018 playoffs when Wright was with the Raptors. He was especially good in that first round series, with 14 steals in six games and two 18-point performances off Toronto's bench.

In addition to his defense, Wright may also present some offensive upside. Two years ago, while splitting the season between Detroit and Sacramento, he averaged 10.2 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field and 37.1% from three. 

The Wizards entered this offseason hoping to find point guards who can defend, pass and shoot. In Wright, they got all three of those traits.