(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
The Washington Wizards had a pretty active NBA offseason, with the team making the decision to head into a youth movement by trading the longtime face of the franchise, Bradley Beal.
Along with shipping Beal to the Phoenix Suns, the Wizards dealt Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics and brought in Jordan Poole in a deal with the Golden State Warriors while also signing veteran forward Kyle Kuzma to a lucrative long-term deal.
These are some drastic changes for the Wizards as the franchise wants to head in a different direction after failing to live up to expectations, with Beal and Porzingis leading the way over the past few years.
Along with making some substantial moves over the summer, the Wizards have decided to make another move right before the start of the 2023-24 campaign by inking forward Deni Avdija to a long-term deal.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Avdija has agreed to a four-year deal worth $55 million.
Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija has agreed on a four-year, $55 million contract extension, his agent Doug Neustadt and Matan Siman-Tov tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/CEEnAuSrNA
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 22, 2023
Although Advija isn’t a game-changer for the Wizards like Kuzma and Poole, he’s clearly part of the team’s long-term plans, as this is a solid commitment for arguably the team’s best player off the bench.
Last season, Advija averaged career-high numbers across the board, as he put up 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 43.7% from the floor.
Unfortunately, his shooting percentage from behind the arc dipped a bit going from 31.7% to 29.7%, but that’s clearly not his strongest attribute, even though it’s something the team will hope he improves upon moving forward.
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