The Washington Wizards have long been considered the laughing stock of not only the Eastern Conference, but the NBA as a whole.
Washington has struggled to build a contending roster over the years, part of which is the reason why the team opted to completely hit the restart button a few years back.
As part of the restart, Washington not only completely rebuilt the roster, but hired a new front office regime in President of Monumental Basketball and general manager Will Dawkiins.
Not to mention the hiring of head coach Brian Keefe, who earned the job after turning heads during his trail run as interim head coach after the firing of former coach Wes Unseld Jr.
Fast forward to this season, Washington saw plenty of strides from the team's young core, with the likes of sophomores Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George proving to be two building blocks the Wizards felt they could move forward with.
In addition, the recent surge of rookie Tre Johnson only added to the team's confidence that they could comfortably exit the "reconstuction phase" of their rebuild ahead of the trade deadline.
As a result, the Wizards made a pair of bold moves with the blockbuster trades of Trae Young and Anthony Davis.
Two deals that not had them viewed as one of the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline, but a team that could be looking to shake up the Eastern Conference sooner rather than later.
Despite that, Washington is still one piece away from truly being a threat in the East.
Fortunately for the rebuilding Wizards, they could be poised to land the final piece of the puzzle this offseason, especially if this recent NBA Mock Draft from FanSided's own Christoper Kline proves true.
Wizards projected to land Darryn Peterson No. 1 overall
As of now, the Wizards are still firmly in the mix to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
After years of falling short in the NBA Draft Lottery, Washington has the chance to finally turn their bad luck around this offseason.
If they do in fact earn the top pick, it's safe to say the Wizards would jump at the opportunity to land a prospect like Darryn Peterson from Kansas.
Averaging 21.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting 49.4% from field goal range and 43.2% from beyond the arc, Peterson is considered to be the top prospect available this offseason.
At 6-foot-6, the athletic guard has the size and skillset to be an immediate impact player for whatever team he lands on, but if he winds up in Washington, he would be the perfect backcourt pairing alongside both Trae Young and Tre Johnson.