Wizards’ Jamir Watkins Receives Promotion, Two-Year Deal
3:45 pm: Watkins’ new standard contract will pay him $1,131,970 for the rest of the season, reports Josh Robbins of The Athletic (via Twitter). The second season of Watkins’ deal — 2026/27 — features a non-guaranteed minimum-salary team option, two league sources tell Robbins.
12:35 pm: The Wizards have officially signed Watkins to a standard contract, the team confirmed today in a press release.
10:46 am: The Wizards are promoting two-way player Jamir Watkins to their 15-man roster and will sign him to a new two-year contract, his agents at CAA Sports tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Watkins, 24, was the 43rd overall pick in the 2025 draft. The Wizards selected him using one of the three second-rounders they received from Utah when they traded down from No. 18 to No. 21 in the first round.
Watkins, who signed a two-way contract last July, played a limited role at the NBA level during the first half of the 2025/26 season but has emerged in recent weeks as a regular contributor for the Wizards. In 16 appearances since January 16, the 6’6″ wing has averaged 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 24.8 minutes per game.
As Charania points out, Watkins has been playing his best basketball of the season as of late, having scored double-digit points in six consecutive outings after doing so just twice through the trade deadline. The rookie guard/forward is also considered a strong perimeter defender.
Watkins is the second Wizards two-way player to earn a promotion to the standard roster in the past week, joining big man Tristan Vukcevic. As we noted earlier today, Washington used a portion of its mid-level exception to give Vukcevic more than a minimum salary for the rest of the season. It’s unclear if the team will do the same with Watkins or whether he’ll receive any guaranteed money beyond 2025/26 on his new contract.
The Wizards have an open spot on their 15-man roster after Alondes Williams‘ 10-day contract expired on Wednesday night, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Watkins. The signing will open up a two-way slot in D.C. alongside Sharife Cooper and Leaky Black.
Wizards Notes: Whitmore, T. Johnson, Sarr, Front Office
Starting wings Bilal Coulibaly (lower left leg tightness) and Kyshawn George (illness) missed Friday’s game against Cleveland, creating an opportunity for other young players, but Cam Whitmore only played about five minutes in the Wizards‘ blowout loss to Cleveland, with all of his playing time coming in the first quarter, observes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (Twitter links).
It’s the fourth straight game in which Whitmore’s minutes have declined, Shankar notes.
Head coach Brian Keefe claimed prior to Friday’s contest that the drop in Whitmore’s playing time wasn’t due to his performance, saying, “Cam’s going to continue to play, he’s doing good.” Yet fellow reserve wings Jamir Watkins (20 minutes), Corey Kispert (20 minutes), Justin Champagnie (19 minutes) and Will Riley (10 minutes) all saw more action against the Cavs than Whitmore.
Keefe said after the game he wanted to see how other players — particularly Watkins — would perform with rotation minutes, according to Shankar (Twitter link).
The Wizards traded a pair of second-round picks to Houston over the summer in order to acquire Whitmore, who was selected 20th overall in the 2023 draft. The 21-year-old small forward will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next offseason.
Here’s more on the Wizards:
- Rookie guard Tre Johnson received his first career start on Friday with Coulibaly and George sidelined, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The sixth overall pick in this year’s draft finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 29 minutes.
- While the team’s 1-8 start has been disappointing, the early play of second-year big man Alex Sarr has been highly encouraging, Shankar writes for The Washington Post (subscriber link). Through eight games, the French center held averages of 19.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.3 blocks, with a shooting line of .540/.455/.800 — all of those figures represent significant jumps from his rookie campaign.
- Longtime former Thunder executives Michael Winger (now the Wizards’ president) and Will Dawkins (general manager) have made numerous positive changes behind the scenes even if the Wizards’ on-court product still leaves something to be desired, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscription required). Kispert, one of only two holdovers from the previous front office regime, appreciates the new amenities, such as a traveling chef and more travel accommodations for players’ family members. “Everything changed when (Winger and Dawkins) showed up,” Kispert told The Oklahoman. “It adds up to a lot. Ultimately, the little things are what make the player experience special. … A lot of organizations do the same things across the board, but it’s that little stuff in the margins that make the difference.”
Wizards Notes: Sarr, Vukcevic, McCollum, Watkins
Five talent evaluators from around the NBA spoke to Josh Robbins of The Athletic about what to expect from Wizards big man Alex Sarr and none of those sources expect the former No. 2 overall pick to develop into the best or second-best player on a contender, according to Robbins.
One scout questioned whether Sarr will become a reliable enough outside shooter to qualify as a stretch big man, while another suggested the seven-footer will have to bulk up and become more imposing physically in order to maximize his potential as a rim protector. “He weighs less than some of the bigger wings and forwards that are starting in the NBA,” that scout said.
Still, multiple sources who talked to Robbins are optimistic about Sarr’s ability to build on what he showed during his rookie season and to continue making strides toward becoming a reliable starting center.
“I would be surprised if he doesn’t take a big leap this year, and that big leap will be being effective on the floor and trying to impact the team outcome as opposed to impacting his individual outcome,” one evaluator told Robbins. “There’s still a lot (of untapped potential) as to what he could be. It was probably a slower start than maybe the general fan would hope for. But I think by the end of (last) season, he had been put in a position to succeed, and we’re going to see more of that built on this season. We’re going to see it start to pay dividends this season.”
Here’s more on Sarr and the Wizards:
- Sarr, who sustained a left calf injury during the EuroBasket tournament, told reporters on Saturday that he expects to be available to play in Washington’ preseason opener on Sunday after spending the past week ramping up, tweets Robbins. The Wizards will be taking on the Raptors, who have Alex’s brother Olivier Sarr on their roster on an Exhibit 10 deal. It will be the first time the brothers play one another in an organized game, according to the Wizards center (Twitter video link via Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network).
- Representing Serbia at EuroBasket, Wizards big man Tristan Vukcevic got the chance to team up with three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. As Hughes writes for Monumental Sports Network, Vukcevic said he was inspired by how hard the Nuggets star practices and paid close attention to specific aspects of Jokic’s game that he hopes to emulate. “Just seeing him in the short roll and how he reads – is he going to finish or pass to the corner – with those reads it helped me a lot being with him,” Vukcevic said. “Hopefully I can translate.”
- In a conversation with Hughes, Wizards guard CJ McCollum shared his early impressions on Wizards rookies Tre Johnson, Will Riley, and Jamir Watkins. While he shared positive feedback on all three players, McCollum notably spoke at length about Watkins, describing the second-round pick as a potential “lock-down” defender capable of guarding positions one through five. “He asks questions about defense. He was in the cold tub yesterday asking me about Herb Jones and what makes him such a good defender,” McCollum said. “He was asking me how he got to that point. I was telling him that he cares. He watches film, he makes the extra effort, and the body type matches. He’s got a good body – 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6 with long arms, quick enough to guard ones, strong enough to guard threes and fours. He can probably switch onto some fives and then it’s 3-and-D. The league loves that.”
Jamir Watkins Signs Two-Way Deal With Wizards
Jamir Watkins has signed a two-way contract with the Wizards, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
Watkins was drafted 43rd overall by the Jazz last month as part of a deal that sent him to Washington along with Will Riley and two future second-round picks in exchange for the ability for the Jazz to draft Walter Clayton Jr.
Watkins played two years at VCU before transferring to Florida State for his final two seasons. In his time with the Seminoles, Watkins averaged 17.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals per game and shot 33% from three.
Between his defensive production in college and his size at 6’6″ with a 6’11” wingspan, Watkins has the chance to be an impactful defender with enough scoring and ball-handling to offer interesting upside on a two-way deal.
The Wizards had previously announced the signings of No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson and No. 21 overall pick Riley. Now all three of the team’s draft-day selections are officially under contract for next season.
As for the team’s two-way slots, Watkins and Jaylen Martin occupy two of them, with a two-way qualifying offer still on the table for Tristan Vukcevic.
Draft Notes: Second-Round Mocks, Round-One Winners, Trades
With round one of the 2025 NBA draft in the books, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo look ahead to what to expect on day two on Thursday, sharing an updated 29-pick mock draft covering the second round.
ESPN’s duo is projecting the Timberwolves to kick off the evening by nabbing Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming at No. 31, with Stanford big man Maxime Raynaud going to the Celtics at No. 32, and the Hornets drafting Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and French forward Noah Penda with their picks at No. 33 and No. 34.
Still, Givony and Woo acknowledge that we’ll likely see plenty of draft-pick movement on Thursday, potentially involving one or more of those first few selections — Givony singles out the Hornets as a team to watch, noting that the club already added a pair of rookies on Wednesday (Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley) and may not want to add two more to their roster at the start of the second round.
Addressing their favorite under-the-radar prospects to keep an eye on during the second round, Givony mentions Penda as an ideal draft-and-stash target for a playoff team drafting in the 30s, though the 20-year-old would likely prefer to come stateside right away. Woo, meanwhile, suggests Florida State wing Jamir Watkins could be a perfect win-now fit for a team in the 30s. ESPN’s mock has him going to the Pacers at No. 38.
Here’s more on the 2025 draft as we prepare for Thursday evening’s second round:
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has also shared an updated mock draft for the second round that starts with Fleming to Minnesota and Raynaud to Boston. Vecenie has the Hornets nabbing Sion James and Kalkbrenner, with Penda going to the Nets at No. 36 and Watkins sliding to the Cavaliers at No. 49.
- A panel of ESPN experts, including Givony and Woo, breaks down the biggest winners, most surprising moves, and best picks from day one of the draft. ESPN’s experts liked the Suns taking Khaman Maluach at No. 10, the Spurs getting Carter Bryant at No. 14, and the Heat nabbing Kasparas Jakucionis at No. 20, but questioned the Pelicans‘ decision to give up a valuable unprotected 2026 first-round pick to move up 10 spots to take Derik Queen at No. 13.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports isn’t as high on the Jakucionis pick for the Heat, giving them a D+, his lowest grade for any of the top 30 picks. The Grizzlies, conversely, earned an A++ grade from O’Connor for moving up to snag Washington State’s Cedric Coward at No. 11.
- The price paid by teams like the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Jazz to move up a few spots outside of the top 10 on Wednesday was awfully high, observes John Hollinger of The Athletic. New Orleans and Memphis gave up unprotected future first-round picks to move up 10 and five spots, respectively, with the Grizzlies also surrendering two future second-rounders. The 2026 first-rounder sent from New Orleans to the Hawks is considered a “superfirst” because it’ll be the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks — it’s very possible one of those picks will end up being a pretty high one, Hollinger notes. Utah, meanwhile, didn’t give up a future first, but had to part with three second-round picks to move up just three spots from No. 21 to No. 18.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Raptors Trade Candidates, Celtics, Sixers
The Knicks should be taking notes as they watch the Thunder and Pacers face off in the NBA Finals, according to Kristian Winfield for the New York Daily News, who suggests the two clubs currently fighting for a title have shown the blueprint for a new era of team-building.
For the Knicks, who had their own title aspirations dashed in a hard-fought series with Indiana, depth and flexibility should be two key takeaways when it comes to how the two smaller-market teams have built themselves into the powerhouses they are. Both teams have hit big on the margins. The Thunder picked up Isaiah Joe after he was cut, drafted Aaron Wiggins at No. 55 in 2021, and added Lugentz Dort as an undrafted free agent, while the Pacers drafted Andrew Nembhard in the second round and Ben Sheppard at the end of the first round.
As important as identifying talent is, Winfield writes that the next Knicks coach needs to prioritize developing the role players so that they’re ready when the time comes. With the financial burdens the team faces, getting contributions from players further down the depth chart will be crucial if the team wants to continue making deep playoff runs.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- While they don’t own a first-round pick, the Knicks could find value with the 50th pick in the 2025 NBA draft. James L. Edwards III of the Athletic breaks down some of the candidates New York may consider at that spot, noting that adding an older, more ready-to-contribute prospect could be beneficial for a team that in need of depth. One such name would be Kentucky’s Koby Brea, arguably the best shooter in the draft at 6’6″. Edwards also looks at Micah Peavy (Georgetown), an athletic defender with a questionable shot, Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Kobe Sanders (Nevada), and Dink Pate (Mexico City Capitanes). Pate is only 19 years old and has a rawer skill set, but at 6’8″ with real ball skills, he could be an interesting developmental flier for down the road.
- The Raptors‘ desire to make a splash with a big-name addition is no secret. With that in mind, The Athletic’s Eric Koreen goes through the roster to determine who is most likely to be moved. In his opinion, Ochai Agbaji and RJ Barrett are the two players least likely to be back next season. Moving Agbaji would likely be done to avoid going into the luxury tax, while Koreen writes that Barrett’s game is too duplicative with Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram for the team to pay all three. He adds that at least one of Barrett, Ingram, Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, or Jakob Poeltl will be needed in a big deal, though it appears unlikely that Poeltl will be moved.
- If the Celtics go into next season without making changes, they’ll be looking at a $500MM commitment, accounting for both salaries and luxury tax penalties, Spotrac’s Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview. With Jayson Tatum out for the season, it’s crucial for Boston to find a way to avoid the second apron, not only to save tax money, but also to ensure future flexibility, including unfreezing the team’s 2032 first-round pick. Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Sam Hauser are the notable names to watch, as two of them will likely need to be moved, and it will be difficult to bring back both Al Horford and Luke Kornet, though they can likely keep one of them.
- When it comes to what the Sixers need most for next season, the answer is simple for The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey: a healthy Joel Embiid. Given the money committed to the current roster, even before they make their decision on whether or not to re-sign Quentin Grimes, who is likely to receive a deal between $15-20MM per year, ensuring Embiid’s future availability is paramount for the team’s success going forward.
Draft Workouts: Jazz, Wolves, Kings, Broome
The Jazz are hosting a pre-draft workout on Friday featuring Colorado State wing Nique Clifford, North Carolina wing Drake Powell, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner and Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, multiple league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Clifford is the top-ranked prospect of the group, according to ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 22. Powell (No. 31), Kalkbrenner (No. 33) and Lanier (No. 37) are also viewed as strong bets to be drafted, either late in the first round or early in the second.
Utah currently controls four picks — Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53 — in June’s draft.
Here are a few more notes regarding pre-draft workouts:
- The Timberwolves, who control the 17th and 31st picks, are holding a workout Thursday that includes Asa Newell (Georgia), Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State) and Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North (via Twitter). Newell, who was invited to the green room, is ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s board, while Watkins is No. 39. The other two players are unranked.
- The Kings will be hosting six players for a workout on Friday, the team announced (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). The six are Ryan Nembhard of Gonzaga, Curtis Jones of Iowa State, Koby Brea of Kentucky, Kadary Richmond of, Norchad Omier of Baylor, and Vladislav Goldin of Michigan. All six prospects appear on ESPN’s board, ranging from No. 47 (Brea) to No. 95 (Omier). Sacramento currently only controls the 42nd pick, but is rumored to be interested in moving into the first round.
- Big man Johni Broome, the 40th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s list, had a workout with the Warriors today, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former Auburn star said he has previously worked out for the Clippers, Pistons, Hawks, Nets, Raptors and Celtics, and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Timberwolves and Suns, according to Rankin. Golden State controls the 41st pick.
Jamir Watkins To Remain In 2025 NBA Draft
Jamir Watkins will keep his name in the 2025 NBA draft, he tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
Watkins, who played two seasons for VCU and two for Florida State, had one year of college eligibility remaining and had entered the transfer portal this spring, but will go pro rather than returning to school for another season.
A 6’7″ forward, Watkins averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals in 30.9 minutes per game across 32 outings (all starts) for the Seminoles in 2024/25. He posted a shooting line of .427/.321/.747 and was named to the All-ACC second team.
Watkins began his college career in 2020/21, which didn’t count toward his four years of eligibility because the season was shortened due to COVID-19. He was then sidelined for all of ’21/22 due to a knee injury, earning him a redshirt year. As a result of his extended college career, he’ll turn 24 this July, which will limit his appeal to NBA teams looking for a young player with untapped upside.
Still, Watkins’ experience at the college level puts him in position to potentially emerge as an immediate contributor at the next level. He was ranked as the No. 65 overall prospect on ESPN’s latest big board, and a few prospects ahead of him on that list have since withdrawn their names from the draft.
As we outlined earlier today, NCAA early entrants who want to maintain their college eligibility will have to withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on Wednesday.
Draft Notes: Combine Standouts, Raynaud, Yang, Luis, Watkins
The scrimmages at this year’s draft combine are seemingly more cohesive than in year’s past, with several prospects standing out due to their selfless play, according to a team of ESPN’s NBA insiders. Stanford forward Maxime Raynaud was the most impactful standout of day two of the combine in ESPN’s view, showing impressive ball-handling, three-point shooting and facilitating at 7’0″.
Having stood out during the first set of scrimmages that took place on day two, Raynaud elected to shut down scrimmaging for the third day of the combine, per Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman (Twitter link). After scoring 20 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes, Raynaud’s team must feel his draft stock is secure. He’s listed at No. 34 on ESPN’s best available list.
The ESPN crew identifies a long list of standouts, including UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg and Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford. It’s worth monitoring the status of Lendeborg, who looked strong on the defensive end, given that he has indicated he would need a firm promise to stay in the class. Pettiford, meanwhile, ended up as the leading scorer for the day with 23 points to go along with eight assists.
A pair of players from Australia’s NBL made their mark in scrimmages too, as Alex Toohey and Lachlan Olbrich held their own. Olbrich was a call-up from the G League Elite camp and scored 15 points while making all but one of his eight shot attempts.
We have more from the draft:
- Chinese center Hansen Yang came into the draft process a relative unknown by outsiders, but he’s making his mark at the combine. According to ESPN, Yang was also one of the top performers from day two, matching up and holding his own against Michigan big man Vladislav Goldin. Yang is taking in the draft process and expressed excitement about the opportunity he has in front of him, according to the AP’s Tim Reynolds. “He really feels happiness here,” Chris Liu, Yang’s interpreter, said. “And then, he’s really willing to compete with everyone and against everyone. He really enjoyed that.” Yang currently sits at No. 67 on ESPN’s board.
- St. John’s guard RJ Luis said he’s “all-in” on the NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello (Twitter link). Luis is technically still in the transfer portal but said he hasn’t spoken to any college coaches yet and isn’t thinking about that at the time. Luis averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds last year as a junior. Luis ranks 62nd on ESPN’s board.
- Florida State’s Jamir Watkins made a big impact on the third day of the combine, according to ESPN’s Jon Chepkevich (Twitter link). In the first scrimmage of the day, Watkins recorded 23 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals, helping himself showcase his two-way ability. He’s currently ranked No. 65 on ESPN’s big board.
Draft Notes: NBAGL Elite Camp, Niederhauser, Combine, Ruzic
Malique Lewis (South East Melbourne), Amari Williams (Kentucky), Caleb Love (Arizona), Caleb Grill (Missouri), and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Penn State) are among the top prospects teams will be watching at this weekend’s G League Elite Camp in Chicago, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
The standout players at the G League event typically earn invitations to the full-fledged combine that will take place this coming week. Givony expects about five-to-eight prospects to move on, noting that players like Terance Mann, Cody Martin, and Aaron Wiggins have gotten “called up” from the Elite Camp to the combine in the past before going on to establish themselves in the NBA.
According to Jon Chepkevich of Rookie Scale (Twitter link), Niederhauser has been the “early star” of the G League Elite Camp, racking up 17 points, four rebounds, and a pair of blocks in the first scrimmage. The Penn State forward looks like a safe bet to be among the players who advance to the combine, Chepkevich adds.
Missouri’s Tamar Bates led all scorers in the first Elite Camp scrimmage with 19 points. The full stats can be viewed here (via Twitter).
Here are a few more draft-related notes:
- Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com identifies Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Boogie Fland (Arkansas), Darrion Williams (Texas Tech), Rocco Zikarsky (Brisbane), and Miles Byrd (San Diego State) as five prospects to monitor at the combine, noting that they still have the option of withdrawing if they don’t have strong showings this week.
- Lendeborg, the No. 26 prospect on ESPN’s big board, has committed to transferring to Michigan and may only decide to turn pro if he draws serious first-round interest from a specific NBA team or teams, Woo writes, since he can make “excellent” money if he spends 2025/26 with the Wolverines.
- PJ Haggerty, Jamir Watkins, and RJ Luis Jr. are three more NCAA prospects whose performances at the combine will be of particular interest to college teams, Givony notes in the same story. In addition to testing the draft waters, all three players are in the transfer portal and haven’t yet committed to a new school, so they’ll be popular targets if they opt not to remain in the draft pool.
- Although Joventut Badalona’s season isn’t over yet, Croatian power forward Michael Ruzic, who plays for the Spanish club, has been cleared to attend the NBA’s draft combine this week and will be a full participant in 5×5 scrimmages, agent Bill Duffy tells Givony (Twitter link). Ruzic missed significant time due to a thumb injury this season and has played a limited role when healthy, so the Chicago combine will give NBA evaluators an opportunity to take an extended first-hand look at a prospect who ranks 49th overall on ESPN’s board.