The Washington Wizards have waived Australia’s Xavier Cooks the day earlier than the brand new NBA season ideas off.
The Wizards confirmed the news with the discharge of their 18-man roster for the primary match of the season, in opposition to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday (AEDT).
The Wizards signed Cooks to a four-year deal, the versatile swingman’s first within the NBA, throughout the Sydney Kings’ NBL play-offs tilt in March.
The newly minted NBL MVP joined the Wizards days after guiding the Kings to the title and averaged 3.8 factors and three.8 rebounds in 12.6 minutes of sport time together with his new facet.
Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr elevated Cooks’ minutes when it grew to become clear his facet wouldn’t qualify for the post-season and the Australian completed the marketing campaign with 10 appearances.
Cooks, 28, featured closely within the Wizards’ Summer League marketing campaign in July, averaging 13.5 factors and eight.5 rebounds from 20.7 minutes per sport.
He most lately performed for the Wizards in a 134-98 pre-season thrashing by the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
But solely two days out from Washington’s first match of the common season in opposition to the Pacers, the Wizards waived Cooks together with veteran energy ahead Taj Gibson.
The resolution leaves the Boomers consultant a free agent heading into the NBA season.
The Kings, with whom Cooks received two NBL championships, haven’t any roster spots accessible so would wish to waive a participant of their very own to carry him again for the continuing 2023/24 season.
The Sydney facet opted to not minimize anybody when Cooks’ championship-winning teammate Dejan Vasiljevic returned to Australia earlier this month.
Cooks’ axing comes after Australian duo Duop Reath and Jack White had been waived by the Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder respectively within the lead-up to the brand new season.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
