Pro Basketball
Wizards Sign Two Rookies, Make Offer to Stevenson
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The Washington Wizards signed a pair of rookies yesterday and made an offer to one of their key unrestricted free agents.
In addition to announcing the signing of rookie shooting guard Nick Young and rookie forward Oleksiy Pecherov, league and Wizards sources confirmed that the team offered unrestricted free agent shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson a four-year deal worth approximately $12 million.
Stevenson, who turned down a three-year, $10 million offer from the Orlando Magic last summer, earned just less than $1 million last season.
Young was the team's first-round pick in the June 28 draft. Pecherov was taken in the first round of the 2006 draft before playing last winter in his native Ukraine.
As the 16th pick in this year's draft, the 6-foot-7 Young was eligible to sign a two-year contract with a first-year salary of around $1.24 million. The 7-foot Pecherov, who was taken with the 18th pick in the 2006 draft, was eligible to sign a two-year contract with a first-year salary of around $1.12 million. The Wizards will hold team options on both players for the third and fourth seasons.
The Wizards also plan to sign this year's second-round pick, forward Dominic McGuire, who was taken 47th overall from Fresno State. All three players and several free agents will participate in the Las Vegas summer league beginning Tuesday.
Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld is also in the process of figuring out what to do with guard Juan Carlos Navarro, who recently negotiated a way out of his contract with FC Barcelona of the Spanish Pro League. Several teams have contacted the Wizards to discuss possible trade scenarios involving Navarro, one of the top players in Europe.
Meantime, a league source said the team has offered assistant coaches Mike O'Koren, Phil Hubbard and Wes Unseld Jr. one-year contracts.
-- Ivan Carter
