Wizards’ Avdija agrees to 4-year, $55M extension

Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija has agreed on a four-year, $55 million contract extension, his agents Doug Neustadt and Matan Siman-Tov told ESPN on Sunday.

Avdija, 22, lands his rookie scale contract extension ahead of the Monday afternoon deadline for members of the 2020 NBA draft class.

Avdija, the ninth overall pick in the class, has developed into a starting small forward and is expected to take on a larger two-way role with the Wizards this season.

Avdija averaged 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.9 steals in 76 games for the Wizards last season. He started 40 games — after having started 40 in his first two seasons combined. He had 11 double-doubles last season, double what he had in his first two seasons, per ESPN Stats & Information research. He also was one of only five NBA players to appear in all 82 games in 2021-22.

Avdija, who holds dual citizenship in Israel and Serbia, played for Maccabi Tel Aviv before joining the NBA in 2020.