Re-drafting the 2021 NBA Draft: Who do the Washington Wizards end up with?

8. Orlando Magic – Jalen Suggs

The Magic end up with their guy at eight instead of five. Blossoming into one of the best defensive guards in basketball, Suggs deserves to be a top-ten pick in a re-draft.

9. Sacramento Kings – Jalen Johnson

Jalen Johnson, who was originally drafted outside the lottery in the actual draft, climbs all the way up to nine. His Swiss army knife style of play as a forward is a nice fit around De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.

10. Memphis Grizzlies – Jonathan Kuminga

The Grizzlies are in desperate need of wings. Originally, they had drafted Ziaire Williams with this pick, but Kuminga is a much better prospect with a higher upside with his superior physical and athletic tools.

11. Charlotte Hornets – Jalen Green

Perhaps not the cleanest fit next to Lamelo Ball, but Jalen Green has too much talent and on-ball ability to fall lower than 11. Ball and Green can be a dynamic duo in the backcourt, albeit a defensively porous one.

12. San Antonio Spurs – Herb Jones

Instead of the disastrous Josh Primo pick here, the Spurs select one of the best defensive players in the NBA in Herb Jones.

13. Indiana Pacers – Josh Giddey

Giddey can be a tough fit on many teams due to his shooting and defensive limitations, but he is too good of a passer to pass here. The combination of his size and playmaking is hard to come by.

14. Golden State Warriors – Cam Thomas

This may not seem like a Warriors style of pick, but Golden State needs more depth and scoring. Cam Thomas can help bolster the offense when Steph Curry sits in an instant scorer type of role.

15. Washington Wizards – Santi Aldama

There are plenty of options here for the Wizards. Corey Kispert is still an option, along with Quentin Grimes, Moses Moody, Jose Alvarado, and Santi Aldama. None of these players have established themselves as clearly better than Kispert. They are all rotation-level players with different strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, Kispert would be a completely reasonable selection. His shooting is the single best skill out of anyone in this group. However, he is also older than the other candidates except for Alvarado. His age and defensive limitations make him a low-ceiling player. It is hard to see Kispert closing games for a championship contender due to his inability to be a two-way player.

Santi Aldama and Quentin Grimes are younger and have two-way abilities. They project to be more valuable players on a serious contender. Either of them would be a good pick for Washington but Aldama’s size and positional scarcity, combined with his 3-and-D potential gives him the edge.