Washington Wizards guard Will Barton is “open to a change of scenery” after the veteran has fallen out of head coach Wes Unseld Jr's rotation, Bleacher Report Senior NBA Insider Chris Haynes wrote in a Friday article. The Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets could make a run at Barton, he continued.
The 32-year-old guard is averaging 7.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 38 games played for the Wizards. Barton's minutes stagnated as the month of December drew on, falling from as high as nearly 36 minutes against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 14 to not playing in two straight games against the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans in late January.
Barton is on the final year of a two-year, $32 million contract he signed with the Nuggets in 2021, according to Spotrac. The 12-year NBA veteran is earning a $14.38 million base salary this year.
Will Barton was traded along with guard Monte Morris for guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith in July, according to the NBA. He opened up about being traded from the team he spent eight seasons with in a 2022 article from the Denver Post.
“It was just like a shock, but not too much of a shock,” Barton said. “It was a shock in that, obviously, I had been there eight years, did so much there together, so it’s always shocking when you’ve been somewhere for so long and you’re moving on.
“But, at the same time, I embraced it, I’m welcoming a new chapter.”
Will Barton was with the team since its leading scorers were guards Ty Lawson and Aaron Afflalo at 15.2 and 14.5 points per game, respectively.
Several teams have contacted the Wizards about Barton's status with the team in January. The Wizards weren't said to be “actively shopping” Barton as of the mid-January report from Haynes, but things could change should the Wizards continue to fall in the Eastern Conference standings.