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John Wall again says the Wizards need a Stretch 4

John Wall told a reporter that the Wizards "need a 4 man that can pick and pop" on Saturday night. This is not the first time he has said something like this.

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By now, you've probably read John Wall's comments suggesting that the Wizards need a Stretch 4. If not, here they are, via Washington Post high-school sportswriter Eric Detweiler:

"I don't know," Wall said of his hopes for the pick during a Red Bull-sponsored event at Gallaudet University on Saturday night. "It's up in the air right now. I feel like we need a four man that can pick and pop, so we'll just see."

Several, including Draft Express' Jonathan Givony, have jumped to the conclusion that Wall is endorsing Anthony Bennett with the No. 3 overall pick. I don't think that's a fair jump, though. This isn't the first time Wall has alluded to the need to finding a perimeter-shooting big man, and free agency and/or trades are better places to plug holes than the draft. It seems to me that he's speaking more generally about a gap on the Wizards' roster.

I do find all this talk funny, though, because the Wizards had a chance to sign two of the league's best Stretch 4s in free agency last summer (Ryan Anderson, Ersan Ilyasova) and passed to make the Emeka Okafor/Trevor Ariza trade. The options in free agency this year, which we'll evaluate in the coming weeks, are much slimmer.