The Washington Wizards are set for an Eastern Conference showdown against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night as the regular season approaches an end.
Looking ahead, Washington has nothing to look forward to outside of the NBA Draft and what will be a pivotal offseason for the team's long-awaited rebuild.
On the flip side, the Bulls are preparing for a play-in matchup to fight their way into the postseason.
Considering the Bulls trail the Atlanta Hawks by only one game in the East standings, Washington could look to play spoiler and try to knock Chicago off to keep them from potentially moving up to the 8th seed.
However, while the Wizards could look to close their season out on a high note, it just simply wouldn't be wise for the team moving forward.
Wizards have to keep their eyes on the prize
As of now, the Wizards are leading the race for the No. 1 overall pick with a league-worst record of 17-63. And while they currently have the edge over the Utah Jazz, who also hold a 17-63 record, if they make the boneheaded decision to win one of their final two games, they could just give the Jazz the glimpse of hope heading into the offseason.
Obviously, all three of the Wizards, Jazz and Charlotte Hornets are locked into the NBA Draft Lottery with the highest odds to earn the top pick. Of course winning one, or both of their final two games won't do much in terms of the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, but at this point Washington has to fully commit to tanking.
As mentioned above, Cooper Flagg is the prized possession for every team set to make a pick inside of the lottery. Furthermore, Flagg is the dream pick for every team in the league, not just the organizations set to pick in the top 3.
While we wait for Flagg to announce his decision about his future, whether that be declaring for the NBA Draft or returning to Duke for his sophomore season, every team with a chance at the top pick continues to operate heading into the offseason with the mindset that the generational talent will be there for the choosing.
Whether it's the Wizards, the Jazz or whatever team that makes the bold move to sell their future away hoping to persuade the team with the top pick to offer up Flagg, there's no doubt that all eyes are on the No. 1 overall pick.
For Washington, they have to keep their eyes on the prize and lose each of their final two games for the 14% chance that the Basketball Gods grant them the opportunity to select their future cornerstone at No. 1 overall in the coming months.