The Washington Wizards have found all sorts of ways to give away their top picks in recent years, using their No. 1 just once in the past four drafts.
On paper, the moves seemed justifiable — the deals were part of the process that brought starters Marcin Gortat (2014) and Markieff Morris (2016) to Washington, for example. There was even some logic in last year’s trade for Bojan Bogdanovic, who, despite being a rental, gave the team scoring off the bench. That deal also allowed the Wizards to shed Andrew Nicholson’s horrendous contract.
But consistently trading away draft picks comes with a cost: the Wizards now lack depth and young talent around an expensive core.
They have a chance to remedy that with the 15th overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. Hamstrung now by big contracts and the salary cap, the draft may be the best way for the Wizards to upgrade their roster.
This year’s draft is filled with talent, even at No. 15, and the Wizards have a plethora of needs.
“It’s pretty obvious,” star John Wall said in late April. “I don’t need to point it out. I think the way the league is going, you need athletic bigs, you need scoring off the bench, you need all of those types of things. We don’t really have an athletic big. … We need somebody else that can create off the dribble. At times, it hurt us.”
Given his athleticism, Texas A&M’s Robert Williams, who was in Washington for a workout Monday, has been a popular name linked to the Wizards. Williams is seen as a notch below the elite big men in this draft (Arizona’s Deandre Ayton, Duke’s Marvin Bagley), but would fit a need.
The Wizards have also hosted Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith and Oregon’s Troy Brown Jr. — two wing players who stand-out defensively. That skill set would be welcomed on the Wizards, who were left playing point guard Tomas Satoransky at backup small forward once Kelly Oubre started for an injured Otto Porter in the playoffs.
There are concerns, though, about Smith’s and Brown’s ability to consistently hit the three at the NBA level.
“Shooting is important, let’s face it,” coach Scott Brooks said after the season. “You have to be able to score the basketball, especially with all the three-point shooting teams. You can’t just take long twos and expect to keep the score close when they’re shooting threes and making them.”
Washington’s bench was better last season, but the team needs someone who can produce right away. Forward Mike Scott is expected to be too expensive to retain in free agency after he was the team’s top bench scorer. Satoransky and Oubre need to become more consistent. The Wizards don’t have a reliable backup shooting guard, especially with Jodie Meeks still suspended for performance-enhancing drugs.
Of course, Washington could always trade the pick, moving down or out of the first round entirely. The Sports Capitol reported the Wizards would be willing to make a deal if a team was willing to take back one of Washington’s expiring contracts, such as Morris or Gortat.
The rest of the league, too, can get trigger happy on draft night with trades. The Wizards, having moved up to grab Oubre in 2015, are no strangers to this concept. A wild offseason — centered around LeBron James — is also expected to impact the draft.
Still, the Wizards need assets, and the draft is a way for teams to stockpile cheap talent. The Wizards also have the 44th overall pick.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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