Virginia Professional Athletes

Anthony Gill isn't just coming back to Washington — he's making history there.

The Virginia forward re-signed with the Washington Wizards this week on a one-year deal, returning for a seventh season with the franchise and cementing his status as the longest-tenured active player in Wizards history. For a team in full rebuild mode, Gill's longevity is a storyline unto itself: no one on the current active roster has worn a Washington uniform longer.

The 33-year-old filled the club's final open roster spot, a move that multiple outlets called underrated given the depth it provides up front. The signing was first reported by insider Brett Siegel and later confirmed by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Gill enters the season coming off a career-high 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game — modest numbers, but the kind of reliable veteran production a young roster leans on.

This is technically Gill's third stint with Washington — hence Sports Illustrated's framing of it as his "Third Wizards Era" — making the relationship between player and franchise one of the more quietly enduring in the modern NBA. Cult-favorite status in a rebuilding market is a rare thing; Gill has earned it the hard way, through consistency and durability over flash.

Wizards coverage noted the signing fills out what will likely be a rotation-depth role, with updated depth charts placing Gill in the frontcourt mix as the preseason approaches. Washington still has financial questions to sort out heading into the year, but locking up Gill checked off the last open roster box.

Elsewhere in the NBA

Gill is far from the only Hoo drawing attention this week. Over in Boston, Sam Hauser's name surfaced in trade speculation, with a pitch circulating that would send the sharpshooting forward — along with Payton Pritchard — to land a 43% three-point shooter for the Celtics. Hauser has carved out a valuable role in Boston's system, and his inclusion in trade scenarios reflects his rising market value, even if no deal is imminent.

Down in New Orleans, Trey Murphy III earned a favorable mention in Pelicans coverage — and not just as an afterthought. A piece analyzing a potential Michael Porter Jr. trade concluded that Murphy, given his trajectory and contract value, represents the better long-term investment for New Orleans. That's a notable endorsement for the former Virginia wing, who continues to establish himself as a core piece for the Pelicans.

Virginia's NBA footprint spans 13 active players across the league — from Reece Beekman in Orlando to De'Andre Hunter in Sacramento — but this week, Gill's milestone signing was the headline. Seven seasons. One franchise. A UVA guy outlasting nearly everyone in the District.

De'Andre Hunter, Kings SF — Trade Deadline Watch

De'Andre Hunter arrived in Sacramento looking like a long-term piece. A week into September, that picture is murkier than ever.

The Kings made a new signing that has reshuffled the forward depth chart in Sacramento, and according to Sports Illustrated, the move has made Hunter — a former Virginia Cavalier — more expendable heading into the trade deadline. Where Hunter was once a comfortable fit in the Kings' wing rotation, the new addition threatens to squeeze him out of meaningful minutes, which is precisely the kind of situation that turns a role player into a deadline chip.

Hunter's value around the league is real. At his best, he's a 3-and-D forward with size and defensive versatility — exactly what contenders covet when the February market opens up. If Sacramento decides its new signing is part of its core going forward, Hunter becomes a prime candidate to be moved, potentially to a team in the thick of a playoff race that needs exactly what he brings.

For Virginia fans, this one stings with familiarity. Hunter has spent most of his NBA career navigating roster uncertainty, moving from Atlanta to Sacramento in search of a stable role. Another trade would represent yet another chapter in what has been a nomadic professional journey for one of UVA's most talented recent alumni.

The Kings, for their part, have not committed publicly to any direction — but the roster math is hard to ignore. The coming months will reveal whether Hunter is part of Sacramento's future or destined to suit up for a third franchise before the season reaches its midpoint.

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Around the League

Hunter is the most pressing storyline for Virginia alumni this week, but the Cavaliers' NBA footprint remains wide. The league's active UVA contingent spans 13 players across 12 franchises — a testament to the program's pipeline at a time when pro scouting of college talent has never been more sophisticated.

Sam Hauser continues to carve out his role in Boston's championship-caliber system, while Trey Murphy remains one of the more intriguing young wings in New Orleans. Malcolm Brogdon, now in New York, brings veteran leadership to a Knicks squad with genuine title ambitions. Ty Jerome and Braxton Key both landed in Memphis, giving Grizzlies fans a pair of Wahoos to watch as that young team continues to develop.

Reece Beekman holds down a spot in Orlando's backcourt, and Ryan Dunn adds to what is shaping up as a crowded Phoenix forward group alongside fellow Cavalier Mamadi Diakite.

The breadth of Virginia's NBA presence is worth appreciating, even as Hunter's situation demands the most immediate attention. For a program that doesn't recruit five-star prospects the way the blue-blood factories do, producing a double-digit NBA roster in a single era is a quiet, sustained achievement — one that gets easy to overlook amid the transaction noise of a busy September.