updated 1:05 p.m. ET Aug. 7, 2006

WASHINGTON - Having found a cheaper and more enthusiastic alternative in DeShawn Stevenson, the Washington Wizards said Monday they won’t match the New York Knicks’ offer sheet for restricted free agent Jared Jeffries.

The Wizards had seven days to match the Knicks’ five-year, $30 million deal. They spent the week signing Stevenson — who, like Jeffries, is known for his perimeter defense — to a contract that will pay him the NBA minimum of $932,000 for the upcoming season.

“Jared’s representative made it crystal clear that he preferred being in New York,” Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said. “And we feel we have plenty of players who can take up the slack. We have players that want to be here.”

The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Jeffries, selected by Washington with the 11th overall pick in the 2002 draft, has averaged 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in four seasons with the Wizards. Last season he started 77 games and averaged 6.4 points, but his greatest asset was his versatility as a defender.

Grunfeld said the Wizards will make up for Jeffries’ absence with Stevenson and the return of Jarvis Hayes, who missed most of last season with a knee injury. The Wizards have also signed forward Darius Songaila and have high hopes for second-year player Andray Blatche, who played well during summer league games.

“We’ve added a lot of toughness to this ballclub,” Grunfeld said. “Our toughness is going to get better, as well as our competitiveness. We’re deep at every position. In all likelihood, this is the team we’re going to camp with, and we’re very comfortable with it.”

A tentative Wizards starting lineup has either Stevenson or Hayes playing next to All-Star point guard Gilbert Arenas, with forwards Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison and probably center Brendan Haywood in the frontcourt. Training camp begins in early October.

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When listing the key contributors for the upcoming season, Grunfeld did not mention first-round draft pick Oleksiy Pecherov, the latest indication that the Wizards are leaning against buying out the contract the 20-year-old Ukrainian has with a French team. With Washington’s roster more or less set, Pecherov could benefit from the greater playing time he would get from another year in Europe before coming to the NBA.

“We think he has a good future in front of him,” Grunfeld said. “But he’s only 20 years old, so we don’t want to put too much pressure on him at this time.”

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