Wizards sign former No. 2 overall pick from Duke

Billy Heyen

Wizards sign former No. 2 overall pick from Duke image

The Washington Wizards added a player with quite the pedigree in free agency on Thursday.

They're bringing in Marvin Bagley III as a new signing, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. It'll be a one-year contract.

Bagley was once the No. 2 overall pick by the Sacramento Kings after being a highly touted recruit and one-and-done at Duke. But he's never become a star in the NBA.

Bagley spent the first portion of the 2024-25 season with the Wizards before they traded him to Memphis at the trade deadline.

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He had also been in Washington for part of the 2023-24 season.

Across those Wizards years, Bagley averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 43 appearances, 16 of which were starts.

Washington needed some height. Alex Sarr checks in at 7-feet, but their current next-tallest players under contract were the 6-foot-8 Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly.

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The big lefty Bagley is still just 26 years old. He has played for the Kings and Pistons in addition to the Wizards and Grizzlies.

In his career, Bagley averages 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He has never developed into a threat as an outside shooter, which limits his usage in the modern NBA.

The Wizards will see if he's got anything left in the tank.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle