Deal of the Day: Let’s have the Wizards trade for a higher draft pick so they can get Onyeka Okongwu!

The Deal is getting antsy. It’s true, tons of mock drafts show Onyeka Okongwu dropping to No. 9 where the Wizards have patiently waited for him. The problem with that is the whole league knows that No. 9 is his floor. It’s then easier to know how high they have to go to get him and I don’t like it. The Deal has zeroed in on Okongwu as THE guy for the Wizards. We can’t let him end up anywhere else.

After all, Albert Lee, Kevin Broom and Diamond Holton faced this scenario in SB Nation’s mock draft ... and had to pick Tyrese Haliburton instead. This isn’t to say that Haliburton is a bad fit for the Wizards. It’s just that Okongwu is ... THE guy.

Anyway, the Atlanta Hawks are open for business which means No. 6 is likely Onyeka’s floor. No guarantee he gets this far either but for this scenario he’s still there at 5. So:

The Washington Wizards trade Troy Brown Jr. the #9 pick and the #37 pick in the NBA Draft to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for the #5 pick overall and a 2022 second round pick, originally Washington’s.

Why do the Cavaliers do the deal?

Cleveland is in a weird roster pickle of their own making. Neither of their back to back lottery picked guards (Collin Sexton, Darius Garland) play enough like point guards. Reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova did most of the assisting last season but he’s a UFA. Their other guard with some assists to his name, Jordan Clarkson, was traded to Utah at the deadline. Enter Troy Brown Jr., the small forward sized, power forward-like-rebounding wing who thinks he’s a point guard.

Troy, 21, isn’t the chocolate or the caramel in this candy mix. He’s the nougat and he’s delicious (as a fit for the Cleveland Cavaliers organization).

Yes, they still have Macedonian forward Cedi Osman but he’s not moving the ball much either. They could seemingly use a wing who can defend 3’s, rebound like a 4 and drop some sweet dimes without hogging the ball.

What’s left of their trade exception from the Clarkson deal allows them to absorb Brown’s salary without matching.

The Cavs throw in the 2022 second round pick because they heard how much The Deal loves getting Washington’s own picks back.

Wow. Classy organization.

Why do the Wizards do the deal?

As mentioned above, The Deal is done with the waiting game. Convinced Okongwu isn’t going to make it to 9, the Front Office bites the asset bullet and moves up to Cleveland’s spot at 5 to get easily one of the top 5 players in this draft.

The cost is Troy and the #37 pick. One trade off of the deal is the subtraction of Brown’s salary making it more likely the team can re-sign Bertans and still use the full MLE and BAE. Not exactly comforting but we take the positives as they come in 2020.

If they do the deal with Jerome Robinson instead, then yay. Not seeing him getting it done.

No matter what, the Wizards move up for their guy. Okongwu doesn’t just fit what this roster needs. He fits what every NBA roster needs. A long, agile forward who can defend, block shots and sub as a reserve 5 in small ball lineups. He makes good decisions in the short roll and has, as a 19 year old, added a floater for his in between game. Combine that with his advanced-for-his-age-footwork in the post and mid-post and finishing with either hand and take my picks already!

And yet, Troy is about to bust out. I can feel it.

The Wizards would have No. 5 (Okongwu), the cash to buy a second round pick, the MLE and the BAE:

• John Wall - Ish Smith - Shabazz Napier (UFA)
• Bradley Beal - Jerome Robinson - Garrison Mathews (RFA)
• __________ - Isaac Bonga - Admiral Schofield
• Rui Hachimura - Davis Bertans (UFA)
• Thomas Bryant - ___________ - Moritz Wagner - Anzejs Pasecniks (camp guarantee)

Trade Resources

• TradeNBA
• ESPN Trade Machine
• CBA FAQ
• Stathead.com
• NBA.com Stats

Want to request a trade target or send a challenge? Email me at Jheiser3 at gmail.com and include your Bullets Forever screen name.