The Washington Wizards have been bad this season.
At the all-star break, their record is 28-30 and they are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
Even though they are in a position to make the play-in tournament, their season is a lost cause.
So when they decided to buy out the contract of Will Barton that should not be a surprise.
Washington Wizards guard Will Barton has completed a contract buyout ahead of the March 1 deadline to become eligible to join a playoff roster on a new team, sources tell ESPN. Barton will become a free agent once he clears waivers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 21, 2023
Barton has played in 40 games this season with the Wizards.
During that time he has averaged 7.7 points and shot 38% from three.
Even though he would not help the Wizards much, he could help a contending team off the bench.
Barton is 32 years old and is only good for about 20 minutes per game.
He is only one year removed from averaging 14.7 points per game with the Nuggets.
So the scoring ability is still in there somewhere.
The NBA buyout market has become one way for teams to acquire players after the trade deadline.
We already saw Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love utilize the buyout market to join new teams.
Now we will see the same thing with Barton.
You can guarantee Barton will be looking to join one of the best teams in the league.
At his age, he is looking to win a championship.
Some teams that could make sense for Barton are the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, or reuniting him with the Nuggets.
At the end of the day, Barton will not make or break a championship team.
But, he could be a nice piece to add to a playoff rotation.
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