Forward Justin Champagnie, a member of the Miami Heat’s G-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, has signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards, NBA insider Shams Charania was the first to report Tuesday evening.
The Washington Wizards are signing forward Justin Champagnie to a 10-day contract out of NBA G League, his agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management tells @TheAthletic @Stadium. Champagnie has played parts of two NBA seasons and is averaging 22.3 PPG/8.9 RPG for Sioux Falls.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2024
Champagnie, 22, was in the midst of his second stint in the Heat organization. He signed with the Skyforce in January of 2023 before signing with the Boston Celtics in early April. He re-joined the Heat over the summer ahead of training camp and has been in the Heat organization ever since.
The 6-foot-6 forward, undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2021, appeared in 19 regular season games with the Skyforce, averaging 23.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in 38.5 minutes per game. He shot 49.5 percent from the floor, 30.6 percent from 3-point range (6.5 3PA) and 76.3 percent from the free-throw line, equating to a 55.3 effective field goal percentage and a 61.6 true-shooting percentage.
He logged seven double-doubles with Sioux Falls this season, including a 33-point, 13-rebound, five-assist, one-steal and one-block effort on Feb. 6 against the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G-League affiliate. He is the twin brother of current Spurs wing Julian Champagnie.
After Washington bought out Delon Wright–who, ironically enough, signed with Miami last week–the Wizards had just 13 active players on its roster, one below the league minimum. By rule, it had two weeks to fill that spot. Champagnie’s deal with Washington will be worth approximately $116K; he will be eligible to sign a second 10-day contract when his first one expires.
Thus, it is unknown if Champagnie will re-join the Heat organization at some point down the line (we know how much they like to circle back). Will he carve out a name for himself with Washington? Let us know in the comments!
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Good luck Champagnie! Another interesting project that can make in the big league. Having said that, I believe the Heat locked up the 3 best Skyforce players in Cain, Swider, and Williams.