The Washington Wizards have made it clear over the last few seasons that providing a veteran prescence for their young team has become a priority.
Last offseason, Washington took a swing on Malcolm Brogdon hoping that the former Sixth Man of the Year could be the mentor in the backcourt that could help the team's group of high-upside backcourt prospects develop.
Coming at the expense of Deni Avdija, the move to land Brogdon was bold and the need for return in the one-year rental was vital.
However, after appearing for only 24 games for the Wizards this past season, the move to land the Virginia product has continued to look worse as times goes on.
As a result of the guard's lack of availablity this past season, the Wizards opted to let the 32-year-old walk in free agency.
With no production, limited availability and minimal impact, there was simply no reason for the Wizards to bring Brogdon back to Washington for another season.
Instead, the Wizards opted to go another route by bringing in CJ McCollum with one of the first blockbuster moves of the offseason.
McCollum enters a backcourt full of talent, where he'll be expected to be the veteran of the locker room doinig the job that the Wizards hoped Brogdon could last season.
Now, with high-upside guard Tre Johnson joining the room, McCollum's arrival makes total sense and only adds to the importance of Washington's decision to bring him in.
Nonetheless, what McCollum will provide as a veteran leader isn't what he'll provide the Wizards that will separate him from Brogdon.
The former Pelican's ability to be a reliable presence on the court will be the difference between what Brogdon offered versus what McCollum could offer.
McCollum has played in at least 55 games in each of the last four seasons. Meanwhile, Brogdon has failed to play in at least 40 games in each of the last two years.
Although that may not seem that important for a rebuilding team like the Wizards who are prioritizing minutes for their young players, McCollum's ability to lead by example ON the court will pay dividends compared to what Brogdon offered mainly OFF the court with his injury woes.
As the old saying goes, sometimes availability is the best ability and McCollum will be able to offer that.
Meanwhile, Brogdon seems poised to find a new team in free agency, where he hopes to get his career back on track.