Thursday, July 7, 2016

Wizards Sign Free Agents Mahinmi, Nicholson & Smith

Center Ian Mahinmi

From our friends at the Washington Wizards...

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed center Ian Mahinmi, forward Andrew Nicholson and forward/center Jason Smith. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“Ian will give us defense, rebounding and rim protection at the backup center position,” said Grunfeld. “He is a physical, experienced player who proved himself last season as a starter and will provide great depth for our frontcourt.”


Mahinmi (6-11, 262) is coming off a career year with Indiana. During his 2015-16 campaign, he averaged career-highs of 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting .589 from the floor in 71 games (all starts) helping the Pacers return to the playoffs. His .589 field goal percentage set a Pacers NBA franchise record. Mahinmi has appeared in 438 games (92 starts) with has averages of 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting .536 from the field over eight seasons with San Antonio, Dallas and Indiana. He has also appeared in 56 career playoff games, including six games during the Mavericks’ 2011 title run. Originally selected by San Antonio with the 28th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft as an international prospect, Mahinmi played multiple seasons with STB LeHavre in France prior to coming to the NBA. He was also a member of the French National Team from 2006-11.

Forward Andrew Nicholson

“Andrew is a very intriguing young talent who has shown the ability to score from both inside and outside as he has developed throughout his career,” said Grunfeld. “His skill set will help bolster our frontcourt depth and we feel he has good potential to continue to improve.”

Nicholson (6-9, 250) holds career averages of 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting .473 from the field and .336 from three-point range in 247 career games (36 starts) over four seasons with Orlando. In 56 games last season, the St. Bonaventure alum averaged 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting .471 from the field and a career-high .360 (41-114) from three-point range. The Mississaugua, Ontario, native was originally selected by Orlando with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Nicholson has also played with the Canadian National Team.

Forward/Center Jason Smith (r)

“Jason’s ability to play both forward and center increases our depth and his outside touch will allow us to use different looks off the bench,” said Grunfeld. “He also provides us with toughness and more size in the frontcourt.”

Smith (7-0, 245) holds career averages of 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting .466 from the field in 489 career games (98 starts) over nine seasons with Philadelphia, New Orleans, New York and Orlando. Last season with the Magic, he averaged 7.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 76 games. Over the last five seasons, Smith has averaged 8.6 points and during the 2011-12 campaign, he tallied a career-high 9.9 points per game with New Orleans. With the Pelicans in 2013-14, he averaged 9.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 31 games (27 starts.) The former Colorado State Ram was originally selected by Miami with the 20th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.