The Washington Wizards waived shooting guard Glen Rice. Jr. on Wednesday.
After being named MVP of the 2014 Las Vegas Summer League, Rice was expected to find minutes in the Wizards’ rotation once the season began. That did not happen because of injury, ineffectiveness and a spat with coach Randy Wittman.
Rice sprained his ankle Oct. 15 during a preseason game versus Maccabi Haifa. His first appearance on the floor was in the Wizards’ second game of the season. Four games into the season, his playing time peaked at 15 minutes. It immediately began to dwindle after that.
Two games later, the 24-year-old Rice argued with Wittman in front of the bench after being removed from the game against the Toronto Raptors. Rice played four minutes that night. They would be his last in the NBA for the Wizards. Less than two weeks later, Rice was shipped to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Developmental League.
Rice shot 20 percent from the field during the five games he appeared in for the Wizards this season.
The emergence of veteran Rasual Butler as a dependable backup shooting guard also made Rice expendable.
Rice appeared in 16 career games with Washington in parts of two seasons, averaging 2.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game.
The Wizards’ roster now stands at 14. The open spot provides Washington flexibility for possibly pursuing a trade before the 3 p.m. Feb. 19 deadline.
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