The Washington Wizards have added another player to their core for the future. Over the weekend, they agreed to an extension with Deni Avdija, as the two sides agreed to a four-year, $55 million contract, preventing him from needing to enter NBA free agency next summer.
The news of the deal was shared by his agents Doug Neustadt and Matan Siman-Tov to ESPN, according to insider Adrian Wojnarowski. The deadline for rookie scale extensions is Monday night, so the Wizards and Avdija got their deal done with plenty of time to spare.
Avdija was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Israel. He took over the starting small forward role for Washington last season, and the team is hopeful that he will continue his development this season, taking on more of a two-way role on the court.
The 6’9” forward provides a lot of versatility for the Wizards, especially on defense. He is further along in his development on that side of the ball, as he is one of the better defenders on the team. With the size and athleticism to guard multiple positions, he is key to the team’s game plans on that end of the court.
An expanded role offensively will be waiting for Avdija in the 2023-24 season. With Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis both being traded this offseason, there are a lot of shots available. Guard Jordan Poole is likely to assume a huge role along with Kyle Kuzma, but that No. 3 option is certainly up for graves.
Nothing is stopping Avdija from taking over that role. If he can find his way offensively, the contract he agreed to will become one of the more valuable ones in the NBA. Last season, he recorded 11 double-doubles, doubling the amount he had recorded in his first two seasons in the league.
In 76 games, with 40 starts, Avdija averaged 9.2 points with 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.9 steals in 26.6 minutes per game. If those minutes are closer to 30 per game this season, we will see career-high numbers across the board as Avdija doesn’t turn 23 until January.
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