The San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery and will draft a generational big man for the third time, Victor Wembanyama joining David Robinson and Tim Duncan in hopefully turning the franchise’s fortunes around.
The Wizards, who didn’t win the lottery or even move up, will select eighth – but with one of Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller (if not both) sure to be left at No. 3, should they try to get with Portland, who has semi-publicly said they’d rather trade out of the No. 3 spot and add a veteran around Damian Lillard, for a swap?
“I think they should consider it…but we don’t have a GM!” EB laughed. “How do you pull that off? Is Ted Leonsis going to do that?”
The Wizards do have an “interim” in place in assistant GM Brett Greenberg, but unless he’s promoted to the role officially, Bish thinks you can’t make a move like that without a true GM.
“You need your GM in place when you make a decision like that,” Bish said. “You can’t have an interim guy make that decision, and then bring in someone that wouldn’t have done that.”
“It depends on your evaluation of prospects,” JP said. “If you think there’s a big separation between the No. 3 pick and anyone else, then yeah, you move up.”
It seems like a three-player draft, so perhaps, if the player of Henderson and Miller they prefer is left, it might make sense – but to JP’s point, too, if you can move up somewhere else to fill a need (like ‘a scoring point guard’ in Cakes’ mind), that works, also.
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“I’d consider it, because it’s better than sitting there at No. 8, and we have a bunch of guys we want to get rid of and no one is untradeable!” EB said.
Again, though, Bish and Cakes think a GM comes before any speculation on that.
“There’s no one untouchable, but you need someone who is going to be here long-term to make that decision,” Bish said.
“I feel like Ted has to make a call here in the next week or two to make that call, because the Draft is in June!” Cakes replied.
That said, what would be desirable for the Blazers to even think about that deal?
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“Looking at the roster…other than Beal and Porzingis, this roster is hot garbage!” EB said. “So many also-rans and nobodies!”
“If I’m the Blazers and I get a call from the 202 area code, I’m like, ‘what are the assets you are willing to even trade me?’” Cakes laughed back.
Producer Valdez then jumped in with the idea that the Blazers’ best idea is to trade Lillard for another high pick, and if the Wizards tried to send Beal to Portland to pair to Lillard, it would be “just as bad as what they did with C.J. McCollum.”
Then again, Drab suggested you could point to the Heat, who were in the play-in tournament, are up 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, so just getting to the tournament gives you a chance? Maybe a better chance than whatever No. 8 or lower can do?
“If you look at their last three drafts, they drafted Deni Avdija at No. 9, then Corey Kispert at 15, and Johnny Davis at 10,” JP said. “At No. 8, you have to be butt lucky to land someone who is a difference maker. The No. 8 picks in the last three drafts are Obi Toppin, Franz Wagner, and Dyson Daniels, two of whom have done nothing.”
That led to a discussion about waiting to evaluate players selected below the top few until a few years into their careers, so, again, is it advantageous to be in that top few this year?
“If they can make the move and get Scoot Henderson, the point guard they need, I guess,” JP said.
“There’s no package the Wizards could put together to make that deal,” EB said one more time.
Cakes then said maybe call Charlotte about No. 2 to see if they’re interested in Beal, but as he said, ‘Bradley Beal will then say, I’m not going there!’
It will be interesting to watch any draft shuffle over the next six weeks, but you can listen to the entire conversation above!
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