Butler earns guaranteed contract after breakout month
The Washington Wizards have signed guard Jared Butler to a three-year standard NBA contract, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wizards guard Jared Butler has agreed on a new three-year deal, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Butler has been on a two-way contract.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 5, 2024
A third-year guard out of Baylor, Butler signed a two-way contract with the Wizards following a standout Summer League performance with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After spending time in the G League to begin the season, Butler saw increased playing time once Brian Keefe took over as head coach. After Tyus Jones went down with injury a few weeks back, Butler emerged as the Wizards backup point guard behind Jordan Poole.
Butler impressed in that role, averaging 9.2 points and 5.6 assists over his last 10 games. That stretch included a 15 point, 9 assist performance in Washington’s upset victory over Chicago.
This serves as yet another proactive signing from Washington’s front office, retaining Butler on a multi-year deal before he hits the open market. Michael Winger and Will Dawkins applied a similar strategy when extending Deni Avdija before the season, and now do the same with Butler.