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What are some of the biggest “What If” moments in Wizards history?

There are many pivotal moments, whether it’s a draft pick, a game outcome or injury that could change the outcome of a franchise. This week, and beyond, we will write a lot about those kinds of moments in the Washington Wizards’ history.

By Albert Lee
Washington Wizards v Boston Celtics - Game Seven
The Wizards were just one quarter away from the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017. If Washington actually made it, how far would the team have gone?
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

This week, SB Nation will have “What If?” week. As you might expect, this week will center on what a franchise could have gone through if one key moment went a different way.

Over this week (and probably beyond), we will write about various moments in Washington Wizards history and what could (or would have) happened to the team if something different happened.

From the top of my head, I can think of many moments that could have drastically changed how we perceive the team. They include:

  • What if Gungate never happened in December 2009?
  • What if the Wizards didn’t win the first pick of the 2010 NBA Draft?
  • What if the Charlotte Bobcats drafted Bradley Beal with the second overall pick?
  • What if the Wizards won Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics?

And soooooo much more.

By coincidence, we already have some “What If” pieces from recent history and our archives. Last week, Alan Jenkins wrote about the “What If” team from the Gilbert Arenas era of the franchise.

And this is also a revival of a series our network had in 2013. Thomas Pruitt wrote about what if Arenas didn’t hurt his knee in an April 4, 2007 game against the Bobcats. And Jake Whitacre wrote about what if JaVale McGee didn’t stop running the wrong way.

And for what it’s worth, Jake also wrote about how good the Wizards would have been if Kevin Durant actually suited up for them with NBA 2K16. He got then-head coach Randy Wittman out on the court in a video game simulation to see if he could grab a rebound (Wittman played several NBA seasons and is a player on 2K’s legacy teams). Jake even had virtual Randy Wittman play virtual Scott Brooks one-on-one to see who would coach the Wizards!

But those “What if” posts were done in the past. And now, we have more that we’d like to share. In the meantime, what are the biggest “What if” moments in Wizards history that you think about?