The Wizards have signed a pair of their first-round picks, locking up big man Alex Sarr and swingman Kyshawn George to their rookie-scale contracts, per the NBA’s official transaction log.
Sarr, 19, spent the 2023-24 season in Australia’s National Basketball League, where he averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game with the Perth Wildcats. The 7-foot-1 center, who has elite upside as a rim protector and defensive presence, was considered a strong candidate to be the first overall pick in the 2024 draft but ultimately ended up going to the Wizards at No. 2. He’ll be a cornerstone for Washington to build around for years to come.
George, the No. 24 overall pick out of Miami, will be another one of the Wizards’ long-term building blocks going forward. A 6-foot-8 wing, George started 16 of the 31 games he played for Miami in his freshman season in 2023-24. While his averages of 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 23.0 minutes per contest were relatively modest, the youngster can handle the ball and has displayed a promising outside shot, having knocked down 40.8% of 4.2 three-pointers per game.
The Wizards actually made three first-round selections in last week’s draft, but don’t yet officially have the third one — No. 14 pick Carlton Carrington — on their roster, since that pick was part of the Deni Avdija/Malcolm Brogdon trade that still needs to be formally completed. That should happen soon now that the moratorium period has ended, putting Carrington on track to ink his rookie contract too.
Assuming they sign for the maximum allowable 120% of the standard rookie-scale amount, Sarr will get a four-year deal worth about $51M ($11.25M in year one), while George’s four-year contract will be worth approximately $14.34M ($2.83M as a rookie).
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