NBA trade update: Washington Wizards take surprise chance on former first-round big man Skal Labissiere amid frontcourt crisis

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Skal Labissiere signed a 10-day deal with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. Since the Atlanta Hawks acquired Trae Young in exchange for C.J. McCollum and Corey Kispert, Washington has had a roster spot available. With Nikola Vukcevic and Marvin Bagley III sidelined due to injuries, the Wizards are lacking in frontcourt.

Amidst this, Charania reported that Labissiere signed the contract to join Brian Keefe's team. The 29-year-old is a former Kentucky first-round selection. Additionally, the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards' G League affiliate, has called him up. Furthermore, Labissiere played in 36 games during his one year at UK, averaging 15.8 minutes per game.

Skal Labissiere gets a short-term chance with the Washington Wizards ahead of the trade deadline

Labissiere’s 10-day contract will expire on Thursday, February 5, if it is formalized today, but the Wizards may terminate it early if they need the roster slot to make a trade-deadline move. Announcing the same, Charania wrote on X:

“The Washington Wizards are signing center Skal Labissiere to a 10-day contract out of their Capital City affiliate, agent Daniel Hazan tells ESPN. Labissiere enters a sixth NBA season after being a first-round pick in 2016. He has shot 55% from field and 44% from 3 in G League…”

In 2016, the Phoenix Suns selected Labissiere with the 28th overall pick. The Sacramento Kings later acquired the former five-star recruit. He played for the Kings for the first three seasons of his NBA career. Prior to his 2018–2019 move to the Portland Trail Blazers, he maintained a consistent role.





Labissiere averaged 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per night while playing in 148 regular season games for Sacramento and Portland. Washington has a $131,970 cap charge, but Labissiere will make $153,330 on his 10-day contract.

The 6'10" player could play for the Wizards for up to six games before his contract expires if he signs before Tuesday's game against Portland. Before getting another chance with the Kings last season, the former Kentucky great played in Puerto Rico and the G League for a number of years.

Strong G League run puts Skal Labissiere in line for a bigger role with the Washington Wizards

This fall, Labissiere made a comeback to the G League and has been performing admirably for the Capital City Go-Go, a Washington affiliate. With a strong shooting line, he has averaged 19.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 2.1 assists in 31.0 minutes per game over 26 games.

The 29-year-old has been with the Wizards' G League club for the whole 2025-26 season after being cut by Washington during the preseason. In 30.9 minutes per game, Labissiere has averaged 19.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 2.3 three-pointers, 2.0 assists, and 0.7 steals. Additionally, in 26 games, he has shot 55.4 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from beyond the arc.

While Marvin Bagley (back) and Tristan Vukcevic (hamstring) are both prone to injuries, Labissiere may be a part of the rotation in the near future as starting center Alex Sarr's primary backup.



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