The Washington Wizards shocked the Miami Heat in the team's regular season finale courtesy of Bub Carrington's game-winning shot at the buzzer.
Although it was an encouraging sight for the fanbase to see their team steal a win to end the season, there's a chance it could put a damper on just how big of an offseason the Wizards were setting up to have.
Heading into the regular season finale against Miami, Washington was in sole possession of the worst record in the league. However, after their win, it opened the door for the Utah Jazz to steal the bottom spot with a loss, which, of course, they did.
With the Jazz's loss in the finale securing them the worst record in the league, it slotted the Wizards down to second-worst. While slotting down one spot may not seem like a big deal, this one game could be the difference between the No. 2 overall pick and the No. 6 overall, assuming both Utah and Washington miss out on top-four placement in the NBA Draft Lottery.
Is it likely? No, but crazy things happen all the time in the lottery. The Hawks just won the No. 1 pick with the 10th-best odds in 2024.
Wizards could miss out on top talent
Although the Wizards secured a 14% chance at the No. 1 overall pick just like the Jazz and the Charlotte Hornets, they also put themselves in position to slip out of the top five as a whole.
Why is that a bad thing, you may ask? This draft is top-heavy. Within the top five, most scouts believe that teams have the opportunity to secure an immediate impact player, even a superstar. However, the drop off after that trends to the area of role players.
So, for example, say the Wizards land the No. 6 overall pick and the top five picks fall 1. Cooper Flagg, 2. Dylan Harper, 3. Ace Bailey, 4. VJ Edgecombe and 5. Derik Queen, it leaves Washington in a pretty bad situation in an offseason when the team arguably had their best chance to snag a franchise-altering talent.
If Washington is able to avoid the worst-case scenario, the win at the end of the season will be looked at as just one of the few victories the Wizards' young squad was able to celebrate this season.
However, if the win comes back to haunt them when the NBA Draft Lottery arrives, it could be looked at as the victory that prevented them from landing their next cornerstone and missing out on prospects with the talent level of Flagg or Harper.