The Washington Wizards entered the offseason with no sure-fire cornerstone in place of their long-awaited rebuild.
And while that still may be true, all signs point to the idea that Tre Johnson could be the Wizards next centerpoint of their rebuild moving forward.
Not only did he show during his freshman season at Texas that he has the tools and talent to be a franchise player at the next level, but the flashes he showed during Summer League play for the Wizards all but added fuel to the fire of the hype train behind the No. 6 overall pick.
Johnson was a nice consolation prize for the Wizards after falling out of the top five during the NBA Draft Lottery.
Cooper Flagg was the dream target, and while his generational talent would have been a huge domino to fall in the Wizards favor during their rebuild, if we're being completely honest, Flagg may not have been the ideal prospect to land in Washington.
Obviously, Flagg offers upside to completely alter the future of a franchise, but what he brings with him is high expectations and plenty of eyes to a rebuilding team and city that may not be ready for that.
With Johnson, the Wizards have the ability to develop him without expectations set on him or the team around him, at least not unreasonable ones.
If Flagg were to have landed in Washington, the Wizards would have been expected to go all in on win-now chips around him that would allow for them to compete right away, especially considering the forward's apparent disinterest to play for the organization to begin with.
Sure, general manager Will Dawkins may have been able to make the corresponding moves necessary to give the team that chance to bring in win-now players, but it would've rushed a rebuild that needs to prioritize patience.
Johnson allows for Washington to continue taking swings on high-upside that will allow for not only him to become a key player for the rebuild, but also potentially pair him with another young prospect that can help the team get back in the mix within the Eastern Conference.
The pressure for the Wizards isn't has high with Johnson as it would have been with Flagg and that may be for the best.
All that to say, Tre Johnson is the perfect prospect for the Wizards rebuild for not only now, but the future.