Washington Wizards Retain Jamir Watkins on Two-Way Deal

Two days after electing to not pick up his team option, a resolution has now materialized with Jamir Watkins.

The Washington Wizards announced on Wednesday afternoon that the team has signed Watkins to a two-way deal. After his option was declined, Watkins was slated to become a restricted free agent, but a return to Washington was expected for the former second round pick who assembled a productive rookie campaign.

Watkins, 24, arrived with the organization after becoming the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft where he materialized into an underrated piece in the rotation. After seeing his role increase through the end of the season as the team struggled with availability, Watkins started in seven games and appeared in 50 during the 2025-26 season where he averaged 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 44.6% from the field and 29.7% from three.

His rookie season ended on a high note after notching a new high with 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The performance marked his fourth game shooting at least 50% from the field and second game with at least 20 points in June alone, capitalizing on a shortened rotation as the Wizards battled availability into the final stretch of the regular season. Watkins also recorded double figures scoring in his last seven games to close February, but his mark was made on the defensive end of the floor.

His best performance of the season came back on Jan. 24 in a 14 point loss against the Charlotte Hornets when Watkins notched a season-high five steals, one of 16 multi-steal games as a rookie. That also includes a seven game stretch in March when Watkins recorded at least two steals, doing so in an expanded opportunity after playing in at least 20 minutes in five of the seven games.

His return gives Washington another defensive stopper along the roster with Bilal Coulibaly, whose contract extension window officially opens this month, earning the title as the team’s top defender.

Outside of the 2026 NBA Draft, the decision on Watkins also becomes the second roster decision of the offseason for the front office after news of a four year extension worth approximately $212 million to keep point guard Trae Young in Washington. The Wizards previously announced a three year contract extension for Tristan Vukcevic toward the end of the season, while the front office likely has a decision to make on D’Angelo Russell after opting into his player option.

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