Julian Reese becomes the second University of Maryland product to join the Washington Wizards this season
Days after finalizing new contracts for a pair of two-way players, the Washington Wizards have reportedly added a local product on a two-way contract.
Julian Reese, who was recently signed to an Exhibit 10 deal by the Toronto Raptors, has reportedly agreed to a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards, per Aryan of The Consensus Report.
Per Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Reese could suit up as early as Tuesday against the Orlando Magic.
Reese becomes the second former Maryland star to join the Wizards organization this month after the Capital City Go-Go, Washington's G League affiliate, announced they have acquired Eric Ayala last week. Reese and Ayala overlapped for one season in College Park, which happened to be a season of turmoil after Mark Turgeon resigned as head coach just a handful of games into the regular season in an abrupt departure. Both the Go-Go and Wizards will take the court on Saturday, potentially giving Reese a chance to make his debut.
But Reese never wavered, instead becoming a cornerstone of the program where he was a key part of the 'Crab Five' team during his senior season that ended in a Sweet 16 appearance, the first time Maryland had reached the second weekend since 2015-16. Likely the final four-year player in College Park, Reese averaged 11.1 points and 7.6 rebounds during his college career.
After going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, Reese had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in summer league before inking with the Toronto Raptors where he would suit up with Raptors 905, their G League affiliate.
In 24 games during the regular season in the G League, Reese is averaging 8.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 17.5 minutes. He also recorded a double-double in his second G League game after finishing with 14 rebounds and 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
With Washington, Reese will likely get a chance to bounce between the Go-Go and Wizards as Alex Sarr continues to battle through a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the Rising Stars game. When Anthony Davis ultimately makes his Wizards debut remains unclear, though general manager Will Dawkins has expressed continued confidence that both Davis and Trae Young will return to the court at some point during the 2025-26 season.
The news also comes days after the Wizards reportedly agreed to a new two-year deal with Jamir Watkins, the team's second round pick in last year's draft, and Tristan Vukcevic to a new three-year deal, signaling the first two moves ahead of what is expected to be a pivotal offseason for Dawkins and the front office.