The Wizards haven’t rushed to sign any of their veteran free agents, letting the market sort itself out. But they wasted little time in signing one draft pick, and finally landing another.
Washington signed two first-round draft choices Thursday — guard Nick Young, the 16th pick this summer, and Oleksiy Pecherov, the 18th pick last year.
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Both players signed standard rookie contracts, giving them two-year deals with team options for two more. And both players will participate in next week’s Las Vegas Summer League. Practice for that begins Saturday.
Pecherov has impressed the Wizards with his work ethic this summer — and his outside shot. Both players could provide Washington with some bench scoring.
Washington is waiting to see how the market plays out regarding guard DeShawn Stevenson, an unrestricted free agent, and forward Andray Blatche, a restricted one. The Wizards want to keep both players, but have opted to be patient.
They picked up a possible trading chip with Juan Carlos Navarro’s Spanish team, FC Barcelona, recently lowering his buyout clause to around $1.5 million, of which the Wizards, or whomever they trade him to, would be responsible for $500,000. At least five teams have contacted Washington about a possible trade for the 6-foot-3 guard.
Washington has a $5.5 million mid-level exception available, though that money could end up going to Stevenson, leaving the Wizards little money for free agency. But they could become active with trades.
