Terps in the NBA: Aaron Wiggins finalizes extension, Jalen Smith finds new home
- Ahmed Ghafir
- Jul 1, 2024
- 2 min read
One day after Alex Len signed a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, two more Terps in the NBA inked new deals with Jalen Smith headed to Chicago and Aaron Wiggins sticking with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jalen Smith is headed to the Chicago Bulls on a three-year, $27 million deal where he joins Patrick Williams and Nikola Vecevic in the frontcourt. Smith spent the last two full seasons with the Indiana Pacers after he was traded from the Phoenix Suns back in 2022. Stix went on to average just under ten points in each of the last two seasons, while he shot a career-high 59.2% from the floor in 2023-24. Smith declined his $5.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season after battling for backup minutes. Smith remains the last first-round pick out of Maryland after coming off the board with the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. As for Wiggins, he followed through on his extension with the Thunder as expected. Wiggins inked a five-year, $47 million deal after the team declined his $2 million team option. The move was expected, but a major accomplishment for the former second-round pick. This marks the third contract for Wiggins the Thunder selected him with the 55th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, capitalizing on his two-way deal before securing a standard deal. Oklahoma City secured the top seed in the Western Conference last season and Wiggins could be in line for a bigger role after playing nearly 16 minutes per game last season. Meanwhile, former Maryland big man Bruno Fernando had his contract deadline extended to July 10 by the Atlanta Hawks as he prepares to team up with current Terp Selton Miguel in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament beginning Tuesday. Related Links
