The Wizards will open preseason on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers, and they’ll do so having added their second signing in free agency, bringing back small forward Maurice Evans on a one-year deal, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Evans, of course, was with Washington during the latter half of last season, arriving from Atlanta in the swap that sent Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong to the Hawks and brought Mike Bibby and Jordan Crawford to the Wizards.
A solid, much-needed veteran presence in the locker room, the 33-year-old Evans also averaged 9.7 points and 2.8 rebounds. Once the season was over, Evans dove into his responsibilities as vice president of the National Basketball Players Association and helped hammer out the new collective bargaining agreed, paving the way for the regular season that will start on Dec. 26. He also managed to complete his degree at the University of Texas, graduating this fall.
The signing takes the Wizards out of the running for fellow free agent Josh Howard, who landed a deal with Utah – pending a physical – and increases the Wizards’ roster size to 15 players not including three camp invitees. Keep in mind that the deal for Larry Owens is non-guaranteed, leaving room for restricted free agent Nick Young to return via his qualifying offer or a longer-term deal with Washington.
