The Washington Wizards are expected to allow first-round draft pick Oleksiy Pecherov to return to Ukrainian giants BC Kyiv for the upcoming season. The 7ft power forward averaged 12.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, shooting 46.2%, in five games for the Wizards' summer team in Las Vegas this July, but with less than two weeks left before the start of training camp, reports in Washington suggest Pecherov will return home.

Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld told the Washington Post the team are still "debating the best thing to do" for the player. Pecherov remains under contract with BC Kyiv, but has a buyout clause. Pecherov spent last season in France with Paris Racing.

The Wizards are assessing what impact they believe Pecherov could make if he stayed in Washington this season. The team can pay up to $500,000 of Pecherov's $800,000 buyout, but are reluctant to do so if he will be on the bench for much of the season. "We're still talking to his representatives," Grunfeld said of Pecherov.

"We feel it's important for him to be in a position where he can play. All young players need to play, and we do have a lot of players at his position." If Pecherov returned to Kiev, he would have the chance to play for a major power in Ukrainian basketball, and a team that secured third place in last season's EuroCup