At the end of the season, Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld said he viewed Markieff Morris as the team’s 2016 draft pick, and based on their approach to this year’s draft, they feel like that was enough of a youth infusion from this year’s draft class.
Washington opted against trading one of their core players to pick up a draft pick in the first round. Likewise, they decided not to use cash considerations or other future assets to move back into the second round to pick someone.
Even though the Wizards didn’t make a draft pick in this year’s draft, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them get aggressive on the undrafted rookie market, especially at the point guard position. They need players to add to their Summer League squad to surround Kelly Oubre, Aaron White, Jarell Eddie, and Jaleel Roberts. A good showing in Vegas could lead to a training camp invite and a chance to latch on as the team’s 14th or 15th player on the roster.
While it’s not exciting to see the Wizards pass on getting involved in this year’s draft, you can understand why they would be hesitant to invest resources in rookies after their struggles last season. If there’s a time to go all-in on investing in building for the present, now is the time to do it.
Only time will tell if the Wizards will make the right moves this summer to get back to being a contender in the Eastern Conference, but at least now Washington will head into this summer with a singular focus on trying to be a contender in the Eastern Conference next season.