WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Wizards announced that they have signed center Daniel Gafford to a multi-year contract extension.
“We’re very excited to extend Daniel’s contract and continue to see him develop within our system after his athleticism on both ends of the floor made such an immediate impact for us last season,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “We are confident that he has the character and drive to keep working hard to improve his overall game and become an even bigger part of what we are building with our team.”
Gafford was acquired by Washington on March 25, 2021, from the Chicago Bulls in a three-team trade. In 23 games off the bench for the Wizards, he averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting .681 from the floor. Gafford improved those averages to 11.8 points 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks with an .846 field goal percentage during five games (two starts) in the 2021 Playoffs (two starts). Overall, the Arkansas product averaged a career-best 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game in 54 regular season games (11 starts) last season.
Gafford holds career averages of 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds on.691 shooting in 97 career games (18 starts) in two seasons with Chicago and Washington. He was originally drafted by the Bulls with the 38th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.