The Washington Wizards are signing Sydney Kings forward Xavier Cooks to a deal that will last through the 2023-24 season, according to a Sunday article from ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Cooks will join the Wizards as soon as the Kings finish competing in Australia's National Basketball League Finals this week.

“Cooks, a 6-foot-8 power forward, is regarded as a switching, versatile defender with excellent passing skills,” wrote Wojnarowski. “An Australian who went undrafted after an outstanding college career at Winthrop, Cooks, 27, is considered one of the NBL's and Kings' outstanding development stories. In his fourth season there, he was the Finals MVP in 2021-22 and the league's MVP in 2022-23.”

Cooks averaged 15.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for the Kings, guiding Sydney to a 19-9 record and a trip to the NBL Finals against the New Zealand Breakers. He scored his season high of 27 points against the Cairns Taipans in February, hitting 11 of his 19 shot attempts against a team that featured former NBA G-League guard Dj Hogg and former Ohio State guard Shannon Scott.

Cooks won the Andrew Gaze Trophy for the Most Valuable Player of the NBL in early February, earning 24 more votes than Perth forward Bryce Cotton and 40 more than South East Melbourne guard Mitch Creek. All three players, along with former Detroit Pistons and now-Sydney guard Derrick Walton Jr, made the NBL's all-NBA first team.

Kings coach Chase Buford, who was the head coach of the Wisconsin Herd from 2019-21, finished in third place for the league's Coach of the Year voting.

The Wizards reached a buyout agreement with guard Will Barton, who signed with the Toronto Raptors one week after his release.

The Wizards will tip off against the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m. EST this Sunday in Capital One Arena. The game will be broadcasted on NBC Sports Washington.