Wizards F Jamison signs contract extension

Jun 30, 2008 - 11:56 PM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Antawn Jamison signed a contract extension with the Washington Wizards on Monday, avoiding free agency on the eve of the league-imposed deadline.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Signing Antawn to a contract extension was a top priority for us this summer," Wizards team president Ernie Grunfeld said. "He has been a leader for us both on and off the court over the last four seasons, and we're proud to reward his efforts by bringing him back."

The 6-8 Jamison led Washington in scoring (21.4) and rebounding (a career-high 10.2) last season to earn his second career All-Star appearance. He was one of only five players in the NBA to average at least 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds en route to a career-high 44 double-doubles.

The fourth overall pick in the 1998 draft by the Toronto Raptors, Jamison immediately was traded to the Golden State Warriors and has averaged 19.6 points and 7.9 rebounds in 10 seasons with the Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Wizards.

The deal comes just hours before players can become free agents at midnight on Tuesday. Jamison can be signed immediately, but contracts will not become official until the NBA's moratorium ends on July 9.

The high-scoring forward was not the only player set to become a free agent on the Wizards, who reportedly are set to offer guard Gilbert Arenas a six-year contract that could be worth more than $100 million prior to Tuesday's deadline.

The Washington Post reported Monday that Arenas will remain in Washington after opting out of his contract earlier this offseason in hopes of landing a maximum-level deal.

In his prime at 26 years old, Arenas was limited to just 13 games this past season after undergoing knee surgery. Jamison stepped up offensively to fill the void left by his superstar teammate.

In response, Arenas said on his blog during the season that he would be willing to take a pay cut to stick with the Wizards, if that extra money would go toward compensating Jamison. It is unclear if that was an integral part of the deal.