NBA Draft: Washington Wizards Should Buy Into the Second Round

With only one pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards should look into buying a second-round pick.

Tonight, the Washington Wizards will start filling out what is currently a pretty thin roster when they announce the ninth pick in the NBA Draft. Even though a lottery pick can go a long way, only having one pick in the draft isn’t ideal. Especially for a team with as many needs as the Wizards have. The draft pick drought doesn’t end after this summer, either. The Wizards are currently looking at zero second-round picks until the 2023 draft.

With the luxury tax already looking like a reality next season, the Wizards need to acquire cheap talent wherever they can to help fill out the roster. One way to get a little bit more out of this year’s NBA Draft is by buying a second-round pick. Or two. Maybe they could even try shopping Dwight Howard for a second-rounder. Worth a shot, right?

The Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks have already done a deal for the 44th pick (14th pick in the second round) in this year’s draft. It cost the Heat $1.88 million, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, which could be a good barometer for what the Wizards will need to pay for a similar second-round selection.

Buying into the second round isn’t necessarily easy or cheap, but it’s doable. If you remember the 2014 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers bought the Washington Wizards’ second-round pick and drafted Jordan Clarkson 46th overall. That pick cost the Lakers $1.8 million. Similarly, the Golden State Warriors bought the 38th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft from the Chicago Bulls for $3.5 million. They used that pick on Jordan Bell.

The money spent on any second round picks doesn’t count against the cap. Of course, any contract signed by whoever the Wizards hypothetically draft in the second round would count against the cap. Just not the money spent on acquiring the pick.

Under Ernie Grunfeld, the Washington Wizards were more likely to trade away second-round picks than buy into the second-round for the chance at diamonds in the rough. One way Tommy Sheppard could immediately separate himself from the old guard in this draft is by purchasing a late pick.

Depending on where the Wizards can buy into the second round, they could either take a chance on a high upside player that’s fallen further than expected. Or they’d be well suited taking a player they could stash and develop on the Capitol City Go-Go for a season. The Wizards hosted nearly a full week of workouts with projected second-round talents. There should be more than a few guys on their radar that are still available.