The Washington Wizards reportedly are trying to trade swingman Glen Rice Jr. before the February deadline. If Washington cannot find a suitor for Rice, they'll likely waive him before Jan. 7, according to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post.
Rice seemingly is no longer in the good graces of coach Randy Wittman after the two exchanged words in front of the Washington bench earlier in November, following the team's blowout loss at Toronto in which he walked off the court. He was demoted to the D-League 12 days later on Nov. 20, and now his time in Washington appears to be headed to an end.
Per Castillo:
"With a gluttony of wing players and limited roster flexibility, the Washington Wizards are looking to trade Glen Rice Jr. before his contract is guaranteed on Jan. 10, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
"Washington has already spoken to other teams about Rice, who was shipped to the D-League in late November and hasn't played in the Fort Wayne Mad Ants' last four games despite no reported injury.
"If a trade partner cannot be found, the Wizards will likely waive the second-year guard to vacate a roster spot and create salary-cap flexibility as postseason draws near and players become available via trade and late-season buyouts. If they are forced to waive Rice, the move will likely be made by Wednesday so he could clear waivers before Jan. 10, when all NBA contracts become guaranteed for the remainder of the season."
Jan. 7 is the last day the Wizards can waive Rice if they don't want to risk him not clearing waivers before the Jan. 10 deadline for when nonguaranteed salaries become guaranteed.
It seems unlikely Washington will find a suitor for Rice, who's a rotational player at best, given that most teams won't want to give up any assets for a player who they can pick up for nothing in a week.
