Thanks to a series of trades, the Wizards started the 2023 NBA Draft with three second-round picks, none of which were actually their own (which was dealt to New Orleans in 2019).
Take a look at the players the Wizards selected in Round 2…even if none of them are coming to DC?
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No. 35: F Julian Phillips, Tennessee (reportedly traded to CHI)
This pick has been a hot potato: it was originally Portland’s, and came to DC via the Cavs, Clippers, Pistons, Hawks, and Celtics, the latter sending it to the Wizards in the Kristaps Porzingis trade – but per Shams Charania, Chicago is acquiring the pick from Washington for “a couple of second-rounders.”
Phillips was selected to the 2022-23 SEC All-Freshman Team after averaging 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 32 games (25 starts). The 6-foot-8, 197-pound wing was also one of the best defenders in the NCAA, as opponents shot just 27 percent when he was the primary defender last season. A 2022 McDonald’s All-American, he chose Tennessee over other offers as well as the G League after originally committing to LSU.
No. 42: F/C Tristan Vukcevic, Serbia
This selection is also one of the most traveled you’ll find: the Wizards got it from Chicago in February 2019 as a protected pick in the Otto Porter trade, then got the conditions removed when they sent Tomas Satoransky to the Bulls that July; it then went to the Lakers in the five-team August 2021 deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Lakers and brought back Kyle Kuzma among others; and finally, the Wizards got it back from L.A. in the Rui Hachimura trade in January.
And, after all that, the Wizards ended up with a likely draft-and-stash in the 7-foot Vukcevic, who has played professionally in Spain and Serbia since 2020. The 20-year-old, who is the son of former European pro and Serbian national team member Dusan Vukcevic, averaged 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game for KK Partizan in the Serbian ABA League last year, and is likely to stay there due to a buyout clause above the usual $825,000 in price.
No. 57: F Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
And finally, this pick is also reportedly being traded, sent to Golden State – perhaps as part of the Chris Paul trade, which also now reportedly includes Patrick Baldwin Jr. coming to DC from the Warriors, according to Shams Charania.
What the Wizards lose and Warriors gain in Jackson-Davis is the 2022-23 Karl Malone Award winner for best power forward in Division I and someone with an NBA pedigree: he is the biological son of former Pacers forward Dale Davis.
Trayce averaged a double-double at Indiana last year, netting 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 32 games, and was First Team All-Big Ten and a consensus First Team All-American. The senior was a four-year starter in Bloomington, averaging 17.9 points and 9.1 boards per game for his career.
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