Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has exercised the third-year option on both center/forward Oleksiy Pecherov and guard Nick Young.  

Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

?Nick and ?Pech? both showed a great deal of potential as rookies and we?re counting on them to continue to progress and contribute,? said Grunfeld.  ?We like the fact that we have a group of promising young players behind our established veterans, and we?re excited to retain Nick and ?Pech? for their third seasons.?

Under the terms of the NBA?s collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft pick?s contract are guaranteed while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team?s option.  Pecherov was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, while Young was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Pecherov averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 35 games as a rookie with the Wizards last season.  He was selected by the Wizards in the 2006 Draft (the franchise?s first-ever international first round pick), but played the 2006-07 season overseas before joining the team for the 2007-08 season.

Young averaged 7.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 75 games as rookie with the Wizards last season.  His best game came on March 30 at the L.A. Lakers when he scored 27 points in 31 minutes.

Wizards' guard DeShawn Stevenson, having returned from Barcelona and Berlin a few days ago with the team, says that he didn't enjoy the overseas preseason trip.

"I didn't like it, no. I couldn't eat my food. It was tiring. It was boring," Stevenson said.

He claimed that all he ate was "bread, water, and Gatorade."

Washington Wizards' President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived forwards DerMarr Johnson and Linton Johnson.? DerMarr Johnson appeared in five preseason games for Washington and averaged 8.8 points in 19.6 minutes per game.? Linton Johnson appeared in four preseason games as a Wizard and averaged 1.3 points in 12.8 minutes per game.? Both players originally signed with Washington on September 22, 2008.
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The Wizards' roster now stands at 15.

Washington forward Antawn Jamison practiced without a protective sleeve on his banged-up right knee on Monday and expects to be at 100 percent for the start of the regular season.

"No pain at all. No stiffness or anything like that," Jamison said after practice. "I feel pretty good."

He bruised the knee and left in the first quarter of the team's first preseason game on Oct. 7.

"I'm glad that everything worked out pretty well, and it wasn't as severe as they thought it was going to be," Jamison said. "No lingering effects."

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that center Brendan Haywood had successful surgery to repair a torn dorsal scapho-lunate ligament in his right wrist.? He originally suffered the injury on Thursday, October 2 during the Wizards? training camp in Richmond, VA.
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The procedure was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.? Haywood is expected to make a full recovery after missing four to six months while recovering from the surgery.? He will spend the next 10 weeks in a cast before he begins the rehabilitation process.

Washington Wizards' President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived forward Taj McCullough.

McCullough appeared in two preseason games for Washington and averaged 3.0 points in 9.5 minutes per game.  McCullough originally signed with Washington on September 22, 2008.

Wizards' forward Antawn Jamison has been diagnosed with a right knee contusion after an MRI today revealed no other damage.  No timetable has been set for his return, but Jamison is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Jamison left last night?s preseason game at Dallas at the 7:40 mark of the first quarter and did not return.

The wrist injury suffered by Wizards' center Brendan Haywood could be much more serious than initially thought, with one doctor advising that he undergo surgery.

The specialist says that if he does undergo surgery on the wrist, which was originally thought of as just a sprain, he could miss up to six months of action.

"The decision hasn't been made yet but we'll know more," Wednesday, the team source said. "The best-case scenario is that he won't need the surgery and he'll be out for a couple of weeks. The worst-case scenario is that he needs the surgery, and he'll miss four to six months."

All-Star Antawn Jamison was forced from the floor during the first quarter of the Wizards' preseason opener against the Dallas Mavericks after his leg buckled, hurting his left knee, the Associated Press is reporting.

Jamison did not return to the game.

Wizards' center Brendan Haywood will have his left wrist examined by a specialist in New York on Wednesday, the Associated Press is reporting.

Haywood was injured last week at training camp and was ruled out of Tuesday night's preseason opener against the Dallas Mavericks.