The Washington Wizards prepare to find out their fate with their top draft pick next Monday on May 12th in the NBA Draft Lottery,
As of now, Washington is tied with the Utah Jazz and the Charlotte Hornets with a 14% chance to earn the No. 1 overall pick. If they don't land the top pick, they have a 52.1% chance to earn a top-four pick, which alone would be a pretty solid fallback option if they don't come out on top.
However, there's no doubt that each team entering the NBA Draft Lottery is hoping that when it's all said and done they'll hold the keys for the No. 1 overall selection solely for the opportunity to draft Duke's freshman sensation Cooper Flagg.
And while Washington is still technically in the running for that possibility, they have to prepare for the dice to roll against them.
Fortunately for the Wizards fanbase, it seems the front office has already done plenty of research on this upcoming draft class and have a pretty clear backup plan in place.
Wizards like Harper, targeting positional size
The Wizards are in position to land a franchise-altering talent not only in this year's NBA Draft, but also next offseason as their long-awaited rebuild continues to look like more than just a couple year process..
According to ESPN's Jeremy Woo, the Wizards like Dylan Harper quite a bit if they miss out on Flagg.
However, that's not much of a surprise considering that whichever team picks at this spot will likely be targeting Harper, who's shown flashes of being a star at the next level between his size and the flashes he showed this past season at Rutgers.
Furthermore, one interesting tidbit that Woo did mention about the Wizards is their commitment to taking big swings and targeting positional size in this upcoming draft.
"Washington remains committed to its long-haul process and will likely play the lottery again next year, positioning the Wizards to keep taking big swings atop the draft," Woo writes.
"If their 2024 draft class was any indicator, the Wizards are highly valuing positional size and targeting young players with strong feel. If they don't ened up with a top-two pick, those criteria will still guide what direction they go," Woo continued.
That said, it seems that the Wizards are all-in on Flagg if they earn the No. 1 overall pick, and will likely target Harper if they land No. 2 overall. From there, if they fall any further, they'll have their eyes on positional size and feel for the game, rather than just focusing on college production when they make their pick.