![Daniel Gafford and Kristaps Porzingis celebrate eighth consecutive year of ex-Wizards in NBA Finals Daniel Gafford and Kristaps Porzingis celebrate eighth consecutive year of ex-Wizards in NBA Finals](https://i0.wp.com/a3.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2024%2F0606%2Fr1342616_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
For most of the last decade, one team has remained consistent in the NBA Finals. No, not the Golden State Warriors.
They are the Washington Wizards.
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Washington, a team that hasn’t won a title since 1978, has managed to have a former player on each of the last seven NBA championship teams, as squiresports noted on TikTok.
The trend will continue this season, as either Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford or Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
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Gafford was acquired by the Wizards from the Chicago Bulls in March 2021 as part of a three-team trade that also included the Celtics. The Mavs acquired Gafford from the Wizards in February 2024 in exchange for Richaun Holmes and Draft compensation.
In February 2022, Dallas sent Porzingis and a second-round pick to Washington in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. He landed in Boston thanks to a three-team agreement between the Celtics, Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies in June 2023.
Somehow, all roads have led away from the nation’s capital to a roster of champions. Here is each player’s individual route:
Jeff Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ish Smith, Thomas Bryant
How they got to Washington: Green joined the Wizards before the 2018-19 season, signing a one-year contract after leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the same offseason, Bryant was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Lakers. Smith’s path to Washington involved signing a two-year contract for the 2019-21 seasons, marking his 11th team in eight seasons. Caldwell-Pope’s tenure with the Wizards was short-lived. He spent the 2021-22 season in Washington after being acquired from the Lakers as part of the blockbuster Russell Westbrook deal.
Jeff Green (left) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a combined 23 years of NBA experience before winning a championship. Joe Murphy/NBAE via /Keynote USA/Getty Images
How they got to Denver: Green signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Nuggets in August 2021, bringing his veteran presence and playing experience to a young Denver team. Notably, Green played the sixth-most regular-season games (1,107) before winning his first championship in 2023, according to KeynoteUSA Stats & Information.
Caldwell-Pope and Smith were traded to the Nuggets in 2022, in exchange for Monte Morris and Will Barton, strengthening Denver’s backcourt. After starting the season in Los Angeles, Bryant’s time in Denver began in February 2023, when he was traded by the Lakers. He appeared in 18 regular season games and one playoff game for the Nuggets.
Warriors of the Golden State 2022
Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., Chris Chiozza
How they got to Washington: Payton II signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards in January 2019. Although he was on two G-League teams throughout the year, he re-signed with the Wizards in December 2019.
After helping the Georgetown Hoyas to a second berth in the NCAA Tournament, Porter Jr. was selected third overall by the Wizards in 2013.
Chiozza went undrafted in 2018 and began his career with Washington’s G League affiliate, Capital City Go-Go. He signed a two-way contract to split time between the Wizards and the Go-Go in October 2019.
Otto Porter Jr. (left) was a top-three pick in the 2013 draft, while Gary Payton II went undrafted in 2016. Noah Graham/NBAE via /Keynote USA/Getty Images
How they got to the Golden State: Payton was selected 15th overall by the Raptors 905 in the 2021 NBA G League draft, where he earned the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year award. He then signed a 10-day contract with the Warriors in April. He was waived before the regular season and re-signed with the team in October.
Golden State signed Porter Jr., who was a free agent, in August 2021. Chiozza signed a two-way deal with the team that same month.
Bobby Portis
How he got to Washington: In 2019, the Wizards traded the aforementioned Porter Jr. to the Bulls for Portis and Jabari Parker, along with a protected 2023 second-round draft pick.
Bobby Portis Jr. scored a game-high 30 points off the bench in his Washington debut. He played 28 games with the Wizards. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via /Keynote USA/Getty Images
How he got to Milwaukee: Portis became a free agent when the New York Knicks declined his $15.75 million team option for the 2020-21 season. In November 2020, he agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Bucks.
2020 Los Angeles Lakers
JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, Markieff Morris
How they got to Washington: McGee was selected 18th overall by the Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft.
In 2016, the Phoenix Suns traded Morris to Washington in exchange for DeJuan Blair, Kris Humphries and a 2016 first-round draft pick.
In July 2018, Howard signed a two-year, $11 million free agent contract with the Wizards after the Brooklyn Nets finalized a contract buyout with the center.
Dwight Howard (left) and Markieff Morris (right) were teammates on the Wizards’ 2018-19 roster before winning a title together with the Lakers in 2020. Ned Dishman/NBAE via /Keynote USA/Getty Images
How they got to Los Angeles: After winning two championships with the Warriors, McGee signed a one-year contract with the Lakers for the veteran’s minimum in July 2018. The following year, he received a two-year, $16 million extension.
Howard returned to Los Angeles for a second season with the Lakers in August 2019 after signing a veteran’s minimum contract.
Morris cleared waivers in February 2020 and signed with Los Angeles.
Jodie Meeks
How he got to Washington: In July 2017, Meeks signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Wizards in free agency.
Jodie Meeks won an NBA title with Toronto. Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via /Keynote USA/Getty Images
How he got to Toronto: Meeks agreed to a 10-day contract with the Raptors in February 2019. The following month, he signed for the remainder of the season.
2017-2018 Golden State Warriors
JaVale McGee, Shaun Livingston
How they got to Washington: McGee was selected 18th overall by the Wizards in 2008.
Livingston signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards in February 2010 before signing for the remainder of the season. His second stint with the team came in November 2012, but was short-lived after he was fired the following month.
Shaun Livingston (left) and JaVale McGee (right) were teammates in Washington for seven years before winning the first of two consecutive titles together in Golden State. Ned Dishman/NBAE via /Keynote USA/Getty Images
How they got to the Golden State: Livingston was the fourth pick in the 2004 draft, but a serious knee injury changed the course of his career. After a one-year stint with the Cavaliers, where he played in a career-high 76 games, Livingston signed with Golden State as a free agent in July 2014. During his time with the Warriors, he appeared in five consecutive NBA Finals series. the NBA before retiring in September 2019.
McGee was invited to Golden State’s training camp in July 2016 and signed with the team in September 2016.
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