Wizards Reunite with Marvin Bagley III

The Washington Wizards brought in their first outside free agent of the summer with old friend Marvin Bagley III.

Feb 25, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Marvin Bagley III (35) looks to pass after rebounding during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards signed Marvin Bagley III to a one-year deal on Thursday, bringing the former Memphis Grizzlies center back over to a team he recently played for.

Free agent Marvin Bagley III has agreed to a one-year deal with the Washington Wizards, sources tell ESPN. Bagley returns to the Wizards after playing in Washington for a year (2024-25) and then being traded to Memphis at the February deadline. pic.twitter.com/AkBE7745Uc

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 10, 2025

The Wizards, having spent all of their offseason by prioritizing their draft strategies and facilitating trades, finally dipped into the free agent market after over a week of the signing window opening when they re-signed Tristan Vukcevic to a deal to stay in Washington, but Bagley is the first outside hire they've made in altering this upcoming season's roster.

The former top prospect is familiar with the Wizards, having suited up for 43 games split between two fragmented seasons in 2024-25 and 2025-26. Bagley first arrived in D.C. as collateral from the Danilo Gallinari/Mike Muscala trade to open 2024 before getting dealt once again a few months ago, helping to net the Wizards the #18 pick in last month's draft before ending up right back in Washington all over again.

He, like Vukcevic, will get a shot to impact the early goings of this upcoming regular season on the center-deprived Wizards. He's shown he can put up numbers upon first touching down with the team, averaging 13.3 points per game in 24 minutes a night, but his lack of any defense held him back from seeing much action last year before getting shipped out.

The Wizards have caught some heat for not prioritizing size amidst their many offseason moves, even shipping out a viable backup big in Kelly Olynyk earlier this week, but this low-stakes deal with someone familiar with the team grants them some of the center and rebounding depth they'll need behind Alex Sarr.

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