Malaki Branham is headed to Washington after three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs traded the former Ohio State guard to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday along with fellow 2022 first-round pick Blake Wesley and a 2026 second-round pick in exchange for veteran big man Kelly Olynyk.
The Washington Wizards are trading Kelly Olynyk to the San Antonio Spurs for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and a 2026 second-round pick (least favorable of Dallas, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City), sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/JWiOF2nzq2
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2025
The No. 22 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Branham started strong in his rookie season in San Antonio, starting 32 games and averaging 10.2 points per contest. His production decreased slightly to 9.2 points per game in his sophomore season, but he still started 29 games. His role decreased significantly last season, however, as Branham played just 9.1 minutes per game with zero starts and averaged five points per appearance.
His role in the Spurs’ backcourt was unlikely to increase after the Spurs used the No. 2 overall pick to draft Rutgers guard Dylan Harper to pair with 2024 first-round pick Stephon Castle and veteran point guard De’Aaron Fox. In Washington, however, he’ll have the opportunity for a fresh start for a team that went just 18-64 last season.
That said, he’ll still have to earn his way into the Wizards’ rotation as they already upgraded their backcourt this offseason by trading for veteran guard CJ McCollum and drafting Texas guard Tre Johnson, giving them an overstocked roster of guards and wings that they’ll need to make some cuts from.
Wings and guards on the Wizards roster. At least 4-5 realistically gotta go:
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) July 9, 2025
Vets/trade bait - C.J. McCollum, Marcus Smart, Khris Middleton, Corey Kispert
Kids (holdovers) - Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, A.J. Johnson, Justin Champagnie, Kyshawn George
Kids (newbies) - Cam
