Wizards Assistant Coach Mike Batiste Suspended 2 Games for Fan Confrontation

The Washington Wizards have suspended assistant coach Mike Batiste two games without pay for his verbal altercation with a fan during the 121-100 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday. 

Late in the fourth quarter of Monday's loss, Batiste got into an argument with a fan before Montrezl Harrell, Thomas Bryant and security intervened. 

Batiste will serve the first game of his suspension on Thursday night when the Wizards host the Brooklyn Nets at Capital One Arena. He will also miss Saturday's home game against the Sacramento Kings. 

Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. addressed the incident following Monday's game, telling reporters he believed a fan said "something that was out of line," and that's how the altercation began. 

"I think it was a situation where something was said that was a bit over the line, and I think it got the best of one of our coaches, but either way, you gotta take the high road," Unseld said.

After trading Russell Westbrook and adding Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Kuzma, the Wizards had high hopes entering the 2021-22 season, but it has been yet another disappointing year. 

Washington enters Thursday's game against the Nets with a 24-29 record and sits 11th in the Eastern Conference. Things got even worse for the franchise this week when it was revealed All-Star guard Bradley Beal would undergo season-ending surgery on his left wrist, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

With things continuing to spiral, the team decided to shake things up ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline. According to ESPN's Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon, the Wizards reportedly traded Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis and a second-round pick.

In addition, the Wizards reportedly traded Harrell to the Charlotte Hornets for Vernon Carey and Ish Smith, per Wojnarowski. 

If the new additions can't help the Wizards turn things around, they'll miss the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.