Washington Wizards Decide on Team Option for Jamir Watkins

On the day of the deadline for the front office to either pick up or decline his team option, the Washington Wizards have opted against retaining one young player ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The Wizards have officially declined up the team option for guard/forward Jamir Watkins, finalizing another roster decision ahead of the official start of free agency. It marks a somewhat surprising decision with the news opening up a roster spot for general manager Will Dawkins to use ahead of the start of free agency.

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. 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.

Watkins had a chance to serve as a second defensive perimeter stopper on the roster with Bilal Coulibaly, whose extension window also opens soon, drawing top honors after another strong season in Washington. After averaging just under 21 minutes per game as a rookie, what his market looks like ahead of his second season in the NBA is unclear with it likely he returns to Washington for a second season.

Whether Washington brings Watkins, who was set to make $2.1 million in 2026-27, is another question after tendering a qualifying offer with the Florida State product now a restricted free agent.

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