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 Associated Press is reporting.

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."

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."