The Washington Wizards blew the draft and they didn’t even have to pick.
Trading the fifth overall selection in Thursday’s NBA draft plus a handful of reserves for two fair players doesn’t help this team. It gets rid of worthless backups and saves $3 million, but do you really think owner Abe Pollin cares about money nowadays?
The Wiz mostly need Gilbert Arenas to remain healthy for the first time in three years to make the playoffs. Indeed, keeping the top four players intact will advance Washington into the postseason.
However, the Wiz were hoping their worst season ever would result in an impact draft pick. Instead, the draft lottery left them with the fifth choice in supposedly a four-man draft. Washington immediately labeled the pick worthless. But, if half the league supposedly wanted to trade for the selection, how worthless could it have been?
There are plenty of smart front offices that find great players after the marquee ones are gone. Washington couldn’t find sand at the beach. The last Wizard to make the NBA All-Rookie Team was Tom Gugliotta in 1993. Now they just shipped 2006 first-rounder Oleksiy Pecherov to Minnesota as part of the trade after getting nothing from him.
The Wiz should have taken a deep breath and made the fifth pick, hoping someone in the organization knows how to spot talent. Maybe new coach Flip Saunders has an eye for potential.
Don’t tell me the fifth overall pick needs years to develop. Plenty of rookies contribute immediately. Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy was the sixth overall pick in 2006. Amar’e Stoudemire won the honor as the ninth pick in 2003.
Speaking of Stoudemire, the Wiz considered trading Caron Butler and the pick to Phoenix for the forward. Now that would have been a gutsy move. Gaining Stoudemire would have been perfect, but for Butler and the pick.
Randy Foye and Mike Miller arrive with decent resumes and outside shots, which oddly enough is the one thing Washington doesn’t need. Does this imply Nick Young might be peddled after two disappointing seasons by the first-rounder?
The Wiz played it too safe. If half the league called for a deal, why make one with two days remaining? Maybe they could have jarred a better deal loose late.
Overall, this smells like a missed opportunity. We’ll know next spring whether the Wiz made the right move.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or e-mail [email protected].
