Wizards Can Move Back Into Draft Lottery

Many analyst and fans not only believe that Washington Wizards' general manager Will Dawkins will be aggresive in the 2025 NBA Draft, He may trade back into the lottery like he did in the 2024 NBA Draft but the kicker is, it will cost a pretty penny to trade back in.

With the 2024 NBA Draft, it was deemed a "weak" draft, and it still took trading Deni Avdija, a young two-way forward who is blossoming in Portland, to pull it off. It will cost more than that this time around. This is a loaded draft, and teams will be more hesitant to part ways with prospects if it doesn't come with players or picks. What kind of picks and players would be on the chopping block in any deal?

Picks

With any attepmt to move back into the lottery, it'll start with the 1st round pick that the Wizards obtained from the Grizzlies at this season's trade deadline. It could also cost the Wizards one of the pick swaps it obtained from the Suns in the Bradley Beal trade. They could also utilize the many 2nd round picks they have for flexibility. The question is, will the Wizards Front Office be willing to part with picks so early in the rebuild? Yes, it would be before their third rebuilding year, but it may be a little early in the process to start trading draft capital.

Sometimes prospects can count as picks. For example, AJ Johnson was selected in the same draft as Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George, but by the Milwaukee Bucks. You can say that the Wizards had four 1st round picks in 2024. Parting with picks may be a choice that Will Dawkins will be hesitant to make.

Players

To trade back into the lottery last year, it still cost the Wizards Deni Avdija, so who would they be willing to part with this time around? In a loaded draft, they're going to have to give up a player or two. Who though? Corey Kispert is the first name that pops into most minds when you look at his contract and connection to the previous regime. Jordan Poole will be part of any trade proposal. He's a fringe All-Star who has shown that he can fit on a contender or a rebuilding team. He can play the point or play off-ball. Saddiq Bey is a wild card due to him not playing this season due to recovering from ACL surgery. Any trade to move back into the lottery will cost one or both of Poole and Kispert.

You have to pay the cost to be the boss. To be aggressive in the NBA as a GM, sometimes you have to make risky and unpopular moves. If Michael Winger and Will Dawkins want to build this team into a title contender, they will have to make those kinds of moves, and while Jordan Poole is popular with both the team and the fanbase, how did he get to DC? He was traded. The business of the NBA is ever evolving, and you have to read and strike the market when it's hot, just like on Wall Street. If anyone can do it, it's Will Dawkins. While he has impressed so far, his real work hasn't even started yet.

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