Ex-NBA Player Was Paid $1.7 Million By The Washington Wizards This Season

Xavier Cooks was paid by the Washington Wizards this season.

Jan 24, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the Washington Wizards logo during the game between / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Xavier Cooks most recently played in the NBA during the 2022-23 season when he appeared in ten games for the Washington Wizards.

That season, he averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest while shooting 60.7% from the field.

Before the 2023-24 season began, Cooks was waived by the Wizards.

However, he still had money on his contract, so he was paid $1.7 million by the Wizards this season (h/t Spotrac and Sam Yip of HoopsHype).

Via Greg Finberg on October 23: "The Wizards have waived Taj Gibson and Xavier Cooks, per @JoshuaBRobbins

They had to cut two players to get down to 15, and GM Will Dawkins sided with youth.

Gibson, 38, & Cooks, 28, will become free agents, while the Wiz will have to eat their remaining salaries for this year"

The Wizards have waived Taj Gibson and Xavier Cooks, per @JoshuaBRobbins

They had to cut two players to get down to 15, and GM Will Dawkins sided with youth.

Gibson, 38, & Cooks, 28, will become free agents, while the Wiz will have to eat their remaining salaries for this year pic.twitter.com/GcJCet27U4

— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) October 23, 2023

Cooks is currently playing for the Chiba Jets (according to his Wikipedia page).

Since he is only 28, Cooks could still end up back in the NBA at some point in the near future.

The @NBA bound Xavier Cooks has showed why the Washington Wizards were so keen on him. Driving straight to the hole to finish strong!

At the first break, it is the Breakers with the 2 point lead.

Keep watching on ESPN to see what happens next! #NBL23 pic.twitter.com/eAbc96zJYC

— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) March 10, 2023

As for the Wizards, they are coming off another tough season.

They finished as the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 15-67 record.

The franchise hasn't made the NBA playoffs since the 2021 season when Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal were still on the roster.

That said, the Wizards have an intriguing roster that features NBA Champions Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma.

If they can make good additions over the offseason, the Wizards could contend for a top-ten seed in 2025.