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The Washington Wizards were in talks with the New York Knicks about trading the No. 15 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft to New York, according to Ian Begley of SNY.
It’s unclear what the Wizards would get in return and which other players are involved in the deal. And it’s unclear if talks are still going on.
That said, it’s the first piece of news regarding the draft for the Wizards where they could be looking to trade their first round pick. Yes, I know. There’s a chance (albeit a small one) that Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook may no longer be Wizards this evening.
But my feeling is that the trade isn’t happening. That said, the Knicks have the No. 19 and 21 picks and any trade with the Wizards’ No. 15 pick would likely involve at least one of these picks.
And when it comes to trading players who are on the Wizards and Knicks? That’s going to be a tall order.
The main reason why is because that there’s no one on Washington’s roster whom the Knicks would want besides the big names who I mentioned already. Begley also stated that the Knicks’ goal was to clear cap space for the 2021-22 season when they could pursue someone like Beal. They only have $49.7 million in cap space committed for next season.
With that much cap space available, it’s possible they could pursue Beal outright by trade since Washington will have more of a cushion. But it would be an extremely lopsided deal that General Manager Tommy Sheppard would simply not do.
Do you see the Wizards trading their first round pick? Let us know in the comments below.