It was the perfect storm at the NBA Draft Lottery, a low pressure system just powerful enough to sweep the Wizards into the swirl of speculation as one of the teams most often mentioned among those who would look to wheel and deal ahead of NBA Draft on June 23.
By falling to the sixth overall pick, there’s just enough room for the Wizards to be worried that whoever they deem as their guy at that spot won’t be there. Add to that scenario the Minnesota Timberwolves sitting at No. 2, a spot where the second guy in a two-player draft is likely to be Derrick Williams, who would fit with nearly every team in the league except for one where Kevin Love and Michael Beasley already reside, and the circumstantial evidence starts to pile up quickly. Center Enes “I want to play with John Wall” Kanter is also all but guaranteed to be there at No. 2, which adds to the intrigue.
From there, buzz has grown in recent weeks, starting first with a tweet from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, then again in his latest mock draft for Yahoo!, but also via ESPN.com’s Chad Ford, who made multiple references to Minnesota, Washington and JaVale McGee in an online chat. None of this comes as a surprise, but it is helpful reinforcement of what we already know about the Wizards as they prepare for the draft on June 23: McGee is Washington’s best and only tradable asset this offseason.
This has been the case from the moment the trade deadline passed in February. Yes, if Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld can convince someone to take Gilbert Arenas off his hands – even if it was even more of a favor by Orlando general manager Otis Smith – he surely can find a taker for Andray Blatche’s bloated deal or Rashard Lewis’ cringe-inducing salary (and it appears they’re trying), right?
C’mon now.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Washington roster is untouchable or entering free agency. McGee has long been a part of the former group. But the precocious, uber-athletic, shot-blocking center full of upside has constantly dragged himself down by going missing on the boards and launching himself on point guard-style dribbling expeditions that end in horrific turnovers. The Wizards have been devoted to keeping him and getting him better – and, as a corollary, reluctant to discipline or sit him (75 starts last season) – but that commitment has been long primed to be tested. The results of the draft lottery exascerbated that situation.
There are two related thoughts that are worth considering. First, notice the importance of role players who gave vital contributions during the recently concluded NBA playoffs. Teams that succeeded were full of players who knew what their jobs were, not freakish, one-dimensional talents. Second, with that in mind, when you envision a Wizards team that gets to and competes in the playoffs, do you see McGee as the starting center? As a backup?
The Wizards’ toughest challenge heading into the draft is deciding how to build around Wall. One option is to potentially take Kawhi Leonard with the sixth pick, a move that would give the Wizards energy, defense and rebounding but wouldn’t be seen as a second offensive option when Washington eventually returns to competitiveness and the playoffs. Jan Vesely would likely be expected to be more of an offensive contributor, but will that happen immediately? Hard to say.
Despite what Washington might do with the sixth pick, what the team needs is a second franchise cornerstone in the frontcourt to complement Wall at the point. Right now, Kanter and Williams have the best chance to be that player, but Williams is certain to be out of reach at No. 6 and hoping Kanter falls to them is a significant gamble. To get either of those players, the Wizards are going to have to give something up, and it’s clearer now than ever before – particularly with the suggestions from Ford and Givony – that parting ways McGee might be the only chance to move up.
But, for a team that is undergoing a complete rebuild, is McGee really that significant a part of the foundation?
