WASHINGTON -- Centre Marcin Gortat agreed to a $60 million, five-year contract Tuesday to remain with the Washington Wizards, according to a person familiar with the deal, a major step in the teams quest to keep the roster intact as much as reasonably possible following the end of a playoff drought. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cant be signed until July 10 under NBA free agency rules. Gortat follows coach Randy Wittman, who was given a contract extension last month, and backup point guard Andre Miller, whose contract was guaranteed for another season on Saturday, as the third piece in team president Ernie Grunfelds quest to retain the key contributors who took Washington to the post-season for the first time since 2008. "Im proud to say Washington will be my home," Gortat tweeted Tuesday evening. Acquired for a first-round draft pick and injured centre Emeka Okafor as part of a five-player trade with the Phoenix Suns just before the start of the regular season, Gortat gave the Wizards a much-needed stronger presence in the paint to complement the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal while taking some of the frontcourt load from power forward Nene. The 30-year-old "Polish Hammer" -- the only player from Poland in the NBA -- averaged 13.2 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds, missed only one game and became a vocal locker-room leader. He was in the final year of his contract and became a free agent Tuesday, but he had made it clear he wanted to return to the Wizards, often speaking about next season as if it were a given that he would be back. Washington had to act quickly because Gortat was one of the top big men on the open market. The next priority for the Wizards is small forward Trevor Ariza, the teams best 3-point shooter and best defender. Ariza also is expected to attract several suitors as a free agent. "Got my man (at)MGortat back now waitin for my bro (at)TrevorAriza...Come on !!" Wall tweeted. Jimmy Vesey Jersey .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston. Adam Graves Jersey . Go to turbozone.ca to see more of his epic work and you can follow him on twitter (@Turbo_Zone). Gaurav Shastri - A tribute to the amazing fan base who stand outside during games at "Jurassic Park" and an unbelievable shot of Paul Pierce fearing a Raptor. http://www.authenticnyrangerspro.com/Marc-staal-rangers-jersey/ .200. His solution to his hitting woes was business in the front and a party in the back."That would be a mullet," Norris says. Walt Tkaczuk Jersey . Andrews, Scotland - Oliver Wilson fired a final- round, 2-under 70 on Sunday and he held on to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by one shot. Ron Duguay Jersey . His Chicago Blackhawks teammates werent shocked when he found it. Kanes career has been defined by his brilliance in the Blackhawks biggest moments, and his tiebreaking goal with 3:45 to play in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals will rank among the best.(SportsNetwork.com) - Jeff Samardzija makes his Oakland debut on Sunday, as the Athletics try to complete a four-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays at O.co Coliseum. Samardzija, of course, was acquired along with fellow right-hander Jason Hammel from the Chicago Cubs on Saturday for Oaklands top two prospects, as well as hard-throwing right-hander Dan Straily. "Im right where I need to be, man," Samardzija said Saturday, when he joined the team in Oakland. "Ive been begging for this for a while, situation-wise, of coming in every day to win games." Samardzija has pitched well for the Cubs this season despite his 2-7 record, as Chicago has been shut out five times over his 17 starts and scored two or less runs in 11 of those outings. Hes also struck out 103 batters in 108 innings pitched this year. "Im coming to a team that has done fine without me and Im just looking to do my part," said Samardzija. "Hopefully, I add to the depth of the pitching staff." Oakland took the first three games of this weekends series, including a 5-1 triumph on Saturday. Josh Donaldson homered and Nate Freiman, Jed Lowrie, Alberto Callaspo and Stephen Vogt each drove in a run as well for Oakland in Saturdays win. That was plenty of offense for starter Scott Kazmmir, who let up just one run on three hits over seven innings, while striking out eight batters.dddddddddddd Oaklands current three-game winning streak comes on the heels of three-game sweep it suffered against Detroit this past week. Mark Buehrle allowed three runs on 10 hits over six innings to take the loss. He is now 10-6 and has lost his last four decisions. The Blue Jays have lost six of their last eight contests. Drew Hutchison will make the start for Toronto in Sundays finale. The 23-year-old has been solid in the rotation for the Blue Jays this season, posting a record of 6-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 17 starts just a year after he did not make a single appearance at the Major League level due to injury. He had started in 11 games during the 2012 season. Hutchison pitched one of the best games of his career his last time out, twirling seven innings of one-run ball, while striking out a career-high 10 batters to help Toronto to a 4-1 win. The right-hander had lost three of his previous four decisions. Sundays start will be the first Hutchison has ever made against Oakland. Although Oakland has had the upper hand this weekend, Toronto has been the more dominant between these teams recently. The Blue Jays swept a three-game series at home from May 23-25 and won two of three in Oakland a season ago. ' ' '