The Washington Wizards are preparing to enter training camp ahead of the 2023-24 season as a rebuilding franchise. Both Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis were traded in the offseason and the youth movement in our nation's capital has begun. Every young team always tends to have at least one or two veterans though, and Taj Gibson will be one of the older leaders in this locker room.
On Friday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report that Gibson will be returning to the Wizards for his 15th NBA season on a new one-year contract.
Gibson, 38, spent his first year with the Wizards last season and he made 49 appearances during the regular season, averaging 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Porzingis is now with the Boston Celtics, which should open up a few more minutes for Gibson this upcoming year. However, the main reason he is returning is to aid in the development of the youthful talents on this roster.
Always known to be a tough-minded, reliable big man who could play either the power forward or center position, Gibson will look to play his role to perfection once more and be an extension of the Wizards' coaching staff.
Already having 16 players under contract for the 2023-24 season, all of which own guaranteed contracts, the Wizards will now be forced to make some roster adjustments over the next month. Anthony Gill and Ryan Rollins are two players on minimum-like deals that could potentially be waived either before or during the preseason in order for the organization to get down to 15 players on their active roster.
Spending the first seven and a half years of his career as a member of the Chicago Bulls, Gibson will always be remembered in Chicago for his contributions alongside Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. During the 2010-11 season, Gibson helped the Bulls achieve a 62-20 record and they went on to make an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. There, they fell in five games to the Miami Heat and were unable to make it to the NBA Finals.
In a total of 945 career regular season games, Gibson has averaged 8.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the floor.
Follow Us
Subscribe