2025 Draft Thread

[payitforward]

Yeah... good job jumping in, Gather -- & that's a very real question, since the truth is that we are unlikely to get the first pick. But, the issue pretty generally under discussion in the draft thread.

[payitforward]

Taking the liberty of moving this here...

With the draft lottery coming up, we have a good shot at Cooper Flagg. But theres a chance we fall to 2 or 3.
Personally, I wouldnt mind Dylan Harper, but then we have a glut with Smart, AJ Johnson, Kispert, JPoole, and Bub.

Just wanted to see thoughts on reasonable Plan B's if we miss on Coop. Do we trade the pick? Take the best player available?
Make any other moves?

At this point, from my POV at least, it's Harper if he's there when we pick.

[GatherStepGuru]

Yeah... good job jumping in, Gather -- & that's a very real question, since the truth is that we are unlikely to get the first pick. But, the issue pretty generally under discussion in the draft thread.

Must have missed it, thanks for the heads-up. I'll check it out

[GatherStepGuru]

Taking the liberty of moving this here...

With the draft lottery coming up, we have a good shot at Cooper Flagg. But theres a chance we fall to 2 or 3.
Personally, I wouldnt mind Dylan Harper, but then we have a glut with Smart, AJ Johnson, Kispert, JPoole, and Bub.

Just wanted to see thoughts on reasonable Plan B's if we miss on Coop. Do we trade the pick? Take the best player available?
Make any other moves?

At this point, from my POV at least, it's Harper if he's there when we pick.

Appreciate it.

If we got Harper, who do we look to move then? We already have Poole, Bub, AJ, Smart, Kispert.. At least 4 of them would need minutes, and Smart could both help with setting the intensity level, or be moved to help a contender. And we still need a 5 bad. I think Sarr is still a few years away, and is really the rate-limiting step in really seeing how good this team can be.

[dobrojim]

Thought experiment:

Let's assume we land a top 4 pick and draft our #1 option scorer, whether it's Flagg, Harper, Bailey, or Edgecomb.

If Maluach was still on the board after our pick, would you trade Sarr for his draft rights? Would the team picking 5/6/7 and considering Maluach trade his rights for Sarr?

In short, what's more valuable? A potential unicorn stretch 5 like Sarr, but a guy who may not really have the strength and physicality to handle center full time; or a Gobert-like rim protector like Maluach who is a pretty good bet to be a difference-making defender with a well-defined role in today's NBA, but may not be much more than a roll man on offense?

This doesn't really answer your question but the guy
who I think is a comp for Maluach is Dikembe.

[TheBlackCzar]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Randle
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/randlju01.html

Why can't you win with Julius Randle?

Career highs: 57 points 20 rebounds 17 assists 5 steals 5 blocks 14 triple doubles

Randle has been named an All-Star in 2021, 2022, and 2024.

I hope DQ is that good.

Well because no team he's been on has ever won anything in the NBA.... So that's why as of now you can't win with him.... He has no track record of being a winning player.... Usually he's talked about as a black hole who stagnates the offense despite his high level offensive efficiency..... Also his defense is a hinderance as well.....

It's pretty bizarre to reduce winning to one player. And it shows how silly the conversation is. Winning championships does not come down to players of Julius Randle's caliber. That's why you guys avoid discussing Jokic. Championships come down to star players. So when I bring up Kevin Love and Chris Bosh what's the argument?

It's not reduced to one guy but he's been cast as a 1A player, when he's not and therefore his expectations match the position he was trying to be in... He was getting paid handsomely, and was shooting the ball more than enough, and ultimately that led to defeat.... This is why he receives the blame...... I didn't make the criteria, I'm just going by it... When you're the star you get the glory and the blame.....

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I do not want Malauch and can't imagine pairing him with Sarr, as both don't rebound well.

Queen with Sarr makes more sense to me.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

...If God lets me keep living, i will mention Queen again.

LONG may you live, CCJ.

No worries -- got my eye on Ken. He's going nowhere but forward!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I do not want Malauch and can't imagine pairing him with Sarr, as both don't rebound well.

??? Maluach is a pretty strong rebounder -- especially on the offensive end where he's absolutely great.

He rebounds, blocks shots, and probably has a pretty good pace up jumper from 8-12 feet.

I just like you know who better, but Maluach seems capable of a lot more than Duke allowed him to do last night.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Not making any predictions but I wonder if Flagg's
failure to hit the GW shot would change his decision,
assuming he's made one, to leave or stay.

I had been unaware that Flagg should be a senior in
HS this year.

It would be unprecedented, in the modern one-and-done era, at least.

He is the guaranteed #1 overall pick. If he stayed in school, he could have a bad year, and maybe fall a bit lower in the 2026 draft. Or he could have a career-ending injury and miss out on the $60M rookie contract. He'd also be delaying the signing of his second contract, which is likely to be a max or supermax deal. Ultimately, he'll probably cost himself one extra year of NBA salary in his career, and that would be a peak year of salary where he'd making something like $90M.

And it's not like Flagg had a disappointing performance in the game. Yeah, he missed the final shot, but he was terrific most of the game. He doesn't really have to go back and prove anything to anyone.

He could come back and be in a car wreck like Bobby Hurley, or he could be in a moped accident like Jay Williams.

Cooper should secure the money bag ASAP.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Thoughts on Walter Clayton Jr?

The guy was incredible in the semi-final. Nobody could stay in front of him. In 5 Tournament games so far, he is averaging 25 a game on a .727 TS% while living at the FT line (8.4 FTA's per game). He is a senior so that has obviously tanked his draft stock. Tankathon has him going 41st, which is right near where we pick in the 2nd round with the Phoenix pick.

He reminds me of Isiah Thomas.

[TheBlackCzar]

I do not want Malauch and can't imagine pairing him with Sarr, as both don't rebound well.

??? Maluach is a pretty strong rebounder -- especially on the offensive end where he's absolutely great.

He rebounds, blocks shots, and probably has a pretty good pace up jumper from 8-12 feet.

I just like you know who better, but Maluach seems capable of a lot more than Duke allowed him to do last night.

No offense to DQ who I know is your guy for this years draft...... But I really want Dylan Harper...... His game is ridiculous and he'd be our #1 option out the gate...... He can play defense, initiate the offense, score at will, I just can't pass that up if it's an option.... Will Flagg ever be as good at offense as Harper? Will his defensive advantage outdo the discrepancy in offensive performance..... I guess my question in thought is would you rather have AK47 with more offense or JHarden with much better defense, or Sengun being a potential comp for DQ?? Not exact comps but somewhat similar players....

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Thoughts on Walter Clayton Jr?

The guy was incredible in the semi-final. Nobody could stay in front of him. In 5 Tournament games so far, he is averaging 25 a game on a .727 TS% while living at the FT line (8.4 FTA's per game). He is a senior so that has obviously tanked his draft stock. Tankathon has him going 41st, which is right near where we pick in the 2nd round with the Phoenix pick.

I've been so low on the PGs outside of Jeremiah Fears, Clayton may be #2 on my list.

Jakucionis, Demin, Traore, Saraf all just don't pass the basic skillset needed for a lead ballhandler at this stage. I like Boogie Fland but he's a smaller Bub Carrington IMO. Labaron Philon feels like a Kris Dunn type. I don't know enough about Sergio De Larrea to have a strong opinion just yet.

If the Wizards drafted a PG like Clayton Jr., it would be a lot like when they had Juwan Howard and Chris Webber, and they drafted Ben Wallace the season after they traded Rasheed Wallace. They never appreciate all the young players vying for playing time at the same position.

The Wizards need big, proficient interior players. Most want rim protectors. I prefer dynamic players who will win their matchups.

Why draft Clayton Jr. after investing in Carrington and AJ Johnson?

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Thoughts on Walter Clayton Jr?

The guy was incredible in the semi-final. Nobody could stay in front of him. In 5 Tournament games so far, he is averaging 25 a game on a .727 TS% while living at the FT line (8.4 FTA's per game). He is a senior so that has obviously tanked his draft stock. Tankathon has him going 41st, which is right near where we pick in the 2nd round with the Phoenix pick.

He reminds me of Isiah Thomas.

I'd definitely consider taking him in the 2nd round. As well as the other PG in that game Pettiford.

[prime1time]

Well because no team he's been on has ever won anything in the NBA.... So that's why as of now you can't win with him.... He has no track record of being a winning player.... Usually he's talked about as a black hole who stagnates the offense despite his high level offensive efficiency..... Also his defense is a hinderance as well.....

It's pretty bizarre to reduce winning to one player. And it shows how silly the conversation is. Winning championships does not come down to players of Julius Randle's caliber. That's why you guys avoid discussing Jokic. Championships come down to star players. So when I bring up Kevin Love and Chris Bosh what's the argument?

It's not reduced to one guy but he's been cast as a 1A player, when he's not and therefore his expectations match the position he was trying to be in... He was getting paid handsomely, and was shooting the ball more than enough, and ultimately that led to defeat.... This is why he receives the blame...... I didn't make the criteria, I'm just going by it... When you're the star you get the glory and the blame.....

What do you mean by 1A? Are you saying that people think Randle is on the level of LBJ/MJ/Shaq/Kareem/Jokic?

[TheBlackCzar]

It's pretty bizarre to reduce winning to one player. And it shows how silly the conversation is. Winning championships does not come down to players of Julius Randle's caliber. That's why you guys avoid discussing Jokic. Championships come down to star players. So when I bring up Kevin Love and Chris Bosh what's the argument?

It's not reduced to one guy but he's been cast as a 1A player, when he's not and therefore his expectations match the position he was trying to be in... He was getting paid handsomely, and was shooting the ball more than enough, and ultimately that led to defeat.... This is why he receives the blame...... I didn't make the criteria, I'm just going by it... When you're the star you get the glory and the blame.....

What do you mean by 1A? Are you saying that people think Randle is on the level of LBJ/MJ/Shaq/Kareem/Jokic?

No not of all time but of his team..... I should've said miscast...... However i definitely dunno how that was turned into what you said....You take a star player and compare him to All Time Greats.... How did what I said get misconstrued as saying that?

[closg00]

Thoughts on Walter Clayton Jr?

The guy was incredible in the semi-final. Nobody could stay in front of him. In 5 Tournament games so far, he is averaging 25 a game on a .727 TS% while living at the FT line (8.4 FTA's per game). He is a senior so that has obviously tanked his draft stock. Tankathon has him going 41st, which is right near where we pick in the 2nd round with the Phoenix pick.

I've been so low on the PGs outside of Jeremiah Fears, Clayton may be #2 on my list.

Jakucionis, Demin, Traore, Saraf all just don't pass the basic skillset needed for a lead ballhandler at this stage. I like Boogie Fland but he's a smaller Bub Carrington IMO. Labaron Philon feels like a Kris Dunn type. I don't know enough about Sergio De Larrea to have a strong opinion just yet.

If the Wizards drafted a PG like Clayton Jr., it would be a lot like when they had Juwan Howard and Chris Webber, and they drafted Ben Wallace the season after they traded Rasheed Wallace. They never appreciate all the young players vying for playing time at the same position.

The Wizards need big, proficient interior players. Most want rim protectors. I prefer dynamic players who will win their matchups.

Why draft Clayton Jr. after investing in Carrington and AJ Johnson?

Because Bubs future may that of a combo guard while AJ shows promise as a PG. We do need some beastly men in the front court

[doclinkin]

Taking the liberty of moving this here...

With the draft lottery coming up, we have a good shot at Cooper Flagg. But theres a chance we fall to 2 or 3.
Personally, I wouldnt mind Dylan Harper, but then we have a glut with Smart, AJ Johnson, Kispert, JPoole, and Bub.

Just wanted to see thoughts on reasonable Plan B's if we miss on Coop. Do we trade the pick? Take the best player available?
Make any other moves?

At this point, from my POV at least, it's Harper if he's there when we pick.

Appreciate it.

If we got Harper, who do we look to move then? We already have Poole, Bub, AJ, Smart, Kispert.. At least 4 of them would need minutes, and Smart could both help with setting the intensity level, or be moved to help a contender. And we still need a 5 bad. I think Sarr is still a few years away, and is really the rate-limiting step in really seeing how good this team can be.

At sub 20 wins, a team is not good enough yet to start worrying about roster balance. You take the best player period and work out the details later. As for who we have on the roster:

Kispert is trade bait. He showed this year he is unable to create for himself. Last year and the year before he had 2nd half surges that inflated his efficiency. But under Coach Keefe he was asked to play as a guard, in an offense that is more free flowing with fewer set plays. In an unstructured offense Kispert showed he's not as strong of an asset. His defense is suspect at best. What you see is what you get with CK. Unless he adds significant range to his three ball, his utility (and tradeability) has taken a serious hit. I'd bet he's contract filler on a trade to a team trying to dump a big contract.

Similarly: Smart is a veteran mentor from the bench going into the last year of his contract, therefore a mid season trade asset for a team that needs to burn $. Until then though he is a great coach on the floor in practice. The young pups can learn a great deal from him. If we land Harper, the kid seems similarly strong and floorbound like Smart, nice if he is the vet who can bring Harper up to speed on NBA defense and dirty tricks.

Bub and AJJ. With both these cats you are curious about offseason development before you ink them in as permanent starters. I personally expect both to come back stronger. Better. Fighting for a starting role. Battling for minutes. But that's one of them good problems to have. If so you can platoon these guys and freely sub them in and out to ensure they get minutes. Interestingly when it comes to Harper, I see decent synergy in playstyles. Harper does not shoot from outside, and plays below the rim. He does attack the lane and finishes at a high rate, forces fouls. Bub does the opposite, his game stops at the midrange. He's been adding in a three ball, learning how to play an off ball role. It's not his best strength, not natural to him, but as he works on it over the summer I can see his catch and shoot game improving. Bub just hit 7-10 from 3 in a game. If he develops consistency that will open up lanes for Harper to get loose. Having 2 ballhandling guards on court is a good thing. If you have 4 of them, you can always have 2 on court.

AJJ is raw athleticism. Exciting, and unknown what he might become. I don't think he adds much muscle on those narrow shoulders. But whatever he becomes its unlikely he takes a starting job next year. If so it's because either the team has made trades or he takes a huge step forward in his game.

Poole. Jordan is reaching a point in his contract (and with his play) where he might actually bring something back in trade. His contract is still a bear HOWEVER the new TV deal kicks in soon. Players are guaranteed 50% of Basketball Related Income. Teams will have to raise the salary cap significantly. At some point Poole's deal does not look impossible to trade. After next year he'll be on a one year deal. And many teams have been clearing cap for a big FA class. Not every team will land those prime free agents, so some may look for a high scoring substitute to please the fans and add instant offense.

I think the team would be happy to shift Bub and AJJ to back-ups behind Harper and allow Poole to keep playing the lead guard role. Because here's the thing, as flashy as his offense has been, his defense will still lose you games. And we need to lose or we miss out on both the 2026 draft pick AND our potential pick swap with Phoenix. The fact that we have holes in our roster is fine. We need to lose. We are not trying to get good in baby-steps. But in two or more giant leaps.

You miss one other aspect. Middleton will surely pick up his contract option. Unless someone works out a sign and trade on a deal that provides him stability and success. He didn't show enough this year to entice teams. But as a huge expiring deal, he could be decent trade bait mid season.

More than anything: we don't have a reliable and efficient go-to scorer. A 2-way player at lead guard is critical for any team's success. If you draft that guy you worry about roster balance later. Trades happen. But depth is not a bad thing. Especially if that means we can delay our on court success for one more year until we keep the pick we owe New York and it transmutes to two 2nd rounders.

As for trade backs. Not at #2. You don't trade the #2 pick unless you get a godfather offer from somebody. An absolute haul including lotto this year and unprotected picks in 2026. And beyond. And even then. A 'give me the ball' type scorer, high efficiency high usage, that's a star. We don't have any stars on our roster right now. None zero.

[doclinkin]

I don't think this is a deep draft unless you like drafting in the 40-50s where there is a very of fringe NBA prospects and future G-league talent.

I count about 24 guys I would consider 1st round picks and even that feels like a stretch.

Maybe about 12 guys I would be comfortable with drafting in the lottery:

PGs
1. Jeremiah Fears

SGs
1. Dylan Harper
2. V.J. Edgecombe
3. Tre Johnson
Tie Jase Richardson

SFs
1. Ace Bailey
2. Kon Knueppel

PFs
1. Cooper Flagg
2. Collin Murray-Boyles

Cs
1. Thomas Sorber
Tie Derik Queen
3. Khaman Malauch

I pretty much like this short list based on where these guys are right now. I'd quibble maybe with the order of a few based on their potential upside vs their immediate impact.

(I think Knueppel may be slow on defense when he doesn't have Maluach and Flagg around him. I think Asa Newell has more upside to his game than his stats show right now).

Your big list is missing Yaxel Lendeborg. He's transferring to Michigan but is staying in the draft as well. I think someone makes a promise to take him late 1st or high 2nd. An older player but hIs stat progression and growth is notable, suggesting future improvement. He's not done. The passing this year opened eyes. Some coach is going to love his game.

[dobrojim]

I've not actually seen him in a game but I like the sound of the type of player Rasheer Fleming
could turn out to be. Among that cluster of PF/Cs projected to go around 20-25, he sounds
intriguing.