Bullets Forever

The Washington Mystics (10-9) are playing the Golden State Valkyries (14-7) tomorrow. This should be a good feeler for how the season of the Mystics could turn out, as they try to break through the glass ceiling of the 0.500 mark. When: Monday, July 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET Where: CareFirst Arena, Washington, D.C. How to Watch: Monumental Sports Network Mystics: Sonia Citron (Out) Valkyries: Miela Sowah, Ashten Prechtel, Iliana Rupert (Out) The Mystics have won 5 of their last 7.

Today is July 5. The fireworks are over. The barbecues are over. NBA Free Agency still exists. And the Washington Wizards made a lot of coaching news yesterday. And no, Brian Keefe wasn’t fired. The biggest news is that Patrick Ewing is going full circle. He’s back in DC, and back with the Wizards, the first team he was a coach on. As you may be aware, there are some NBA Summer League games going on in the West Coast and Utah.

The Washington Wizards have hired NBA legend Patrick Ewing to a position on their coaching staff, SNY’s Ian Begley reported Saturday. Ewing spent the last two seasons as an advisor and basketball ambassador with the New York Knicks, notably joining them on their NBA Finals run this year. The 11-time NBA All-Star served as a Wizards assistant coach during the 2002-03 season before stints with the Houston Rockets (2003-2006), Orlando Magic (2007-2012) and Charlotte Hornets (2013-2017).

Will Dawkins has made a habit of buying low on assets deemed negative by their previous teams. He did so with Trae Young, then Anthony Davis and now Deandre Ayton, who all enter Washington under similar circumstances: Their former teams wanted nothing to do with them, and yet the Wizards wanted everything to do with them. Dawkins first acquired Young for the low price of CJ McCollum’s expiring contract and Corey Kispert.

Happy 250th birthday America! And keep chatting about moves that happen in the NBA. There will be moves happening with various teams, even if it’s an American holiday!

The Canada men’s national basketball team won against Puerto Rico, 110-84 on Friday night in Hamilton, Ontario in Group B of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers for the first round within FIBA Americas. The win also gives the Canadians qualification for the second round. This game’s outcome was never in doubt. The Canadians never trailed and led by over 20 points in most of the game.

Goedenavond allemaal. De Franse nationale mannenbasketbalploeg heeft zaterdagavond in de Lotto Arena in Antwerpen de Belgische nationale mannenploeg met 80-72 verslagen in groep G van de kwalificaties voor de FIBA World Cup. Bilal Coulibaly leidde Les Bleus met 13 punten en 2 rebounds. De speler van de Washington Wizards stond ook in de basis. Oh wait, Bonsoir à tous.

The Wizards shored up their center position for next season by acquiring DeAndre Ayton from the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s yet another trademark Will Dawkins trade — the price for Ayton was a guard they didn’t want and a couple second round picks. Add this move to a list that include paying nothing the team wanted to obtain Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks, and paying a modest price for Anthony Davis. The Washington Wizards made a smart move in trading for big man DeAndre Ayton.

The Washington Wizards are FINALLY in the news for reasons other than AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis or Trae Young. Maybe Russell Westbrook as well? On Friday, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the Wizards will acquire Deandre Ayton from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Jaden Hardy and two of the Wizards’ second round draft picks in 2031 and 2032. Ayton, a center, averaged 12.5 points and 8 rebounds per game in 72 appearances for the Lakers.

It has nearly been two months since Alicia Florez joined the Washington Mystics on a developmental contract, and the Spanish guard is beginning to show why the organization deserves to remain in the red, white and blue. Florez turned in the best stretch of her young WNBA career over the Mystics’ last two victories, delivering versatile performances against the Atlanta Dream and Portland Fire while continuing to establish herself as a reliable playmaker off the bench.