Inside The Wizards

Wizards Forward May Be on Last Leg

The Washington Wizards will hope to have their two-way player make some noise.

Jeremy Brener

Oct 6, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Toronto Raptors power forward Kelly Olynyk (41) dribbles and Washington Wizards small forward Justin Champagnie (9) defends during the third quarter at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Toronto Raptors power forward Kelly Olynyk (41) dribbles and Washington Wizards small forward Justin Champagnie (9) defends during the third quarter at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are keeping small forward Justin Champagnie on a two-way contract for the second consecutive season.

This means that Champagnie can only play up to 50 games with the Wizards, which will likely result in most of his playing time coming with the Capital City Go-Go in the G League.

While the Wizards have shown a commitment to Champagnie, bringing him back for a second consecutive season, this could be the last year for him in Washington if progress isn't made.

Champagnie, 23, is in his fourth NBA season, which is the final year players can be on a two-way contract.

He has bounced around the G League throughout his career, playing for Raptors 905 when he began his NBA tenure in Toronto. He has also played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and the Go-Go, where he was named to the All-NBA G League Second Team alongside Darius Bazley, Malcolm Hill, Mason Jones and Trevelin Queen.

Champagnie did get some run with the Wizards last season, appearing in 15 games late in the year and averaging a career-best 5.9 points per game.

With a rebuilding team, Champagnie is probably in one of the better places to be in the NBA because he doesn't have too many obstacles on the depth chart between him and legitimate playing time. However, there are several Wizards expected to get burn on the wing ahead of him, including Kyle Kuzma, Corey Kispert, and former lottery picks Bilal Coulibaly and Johnny Davis.

Don't expect too much out of Champagnie early in the season, but when the Wizards begin to place their focus on the latter part of the roster, he could make some appearances in hopes of making an impression to stick around with the franchise for the long haul.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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