ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that free agent big shot Marvin Bagley III has agreed to a one-year contract with the Washington Wizards.
The 26-year-old returned to the Wizards after playing in Washington for the 2024-25 season before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on the February deadline.
Marvin Bagley III ranked second in the 2018 NBA Draft
Bagley was the second pick for the Sacramento Kings at the 2018 NBA Draft, a move that was arguably one of the worst mistakes in franchise history.
The next three draft picks are Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Trae Young, while Mikal Bridges ranked 10th and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ranked 11th.
Although the 6-foot-10 Bagley brought athleticism and scale to the court, he lacked shooting ability and worked hard to eliminate opponents for his defensive board opponents.
The seven-year veteran also did not provide peripheral shooting. This ended up causing the big guy to bounce from teams.
In 289 professional NBA regular season (129 games), the Kings, the Detroit Pistons, Wizards and Grizzlies averaged 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 22.4 minutes per game while shooting 51.8% from the field.
Wizard adds Bagley after trading Kelly Olynyk
The Wizards targeted Bagley at free agents after trading Kelly Olynyk to the San Antonio Spurs.
Bagley played 43 games (16 games), and Washington played in parts of 2023-24 and 2024-25, averaging 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 57%.
Washington initially took on Isaiah’s liver before the 2024 trade deadline and won a second round pick.
Prior to last season’s trade deadline, the Wizards sent Bagley on a multi-team contract, which made them Marcus Smart and a first-round draft pick that they used to redeem and chose Riley in the 2025 NBA Draft.
It remains to be seen whether Bagley will stay in Washington this time.
The Wizards have 15 players on standard contracts. They also own the standard deals for Richaun Holmes and Justin Champagnie, but Holmes’ $13.28 million contract is only about $250,000, and the Champagne deal is not a guarantee.
