The Washington Wizards struggles have continued as the team continues to prioritize the development of their young core down the back half of the season.
Considering the Wizards currently sit with a league-worst record at 9-47, it makes total sense that the team has put all their cards in to focus on their rebuild as it's clear that contending for a playoff spot, let alone an NBA championship won't be in play for the forseeable future.
Washington currently leads the race to earn the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft as the offseason looms, but even then, they'll have their fate decided by the NBA Draft Lottery which could ultimately make or break their future building plans.
With so many factors that could possibily benefit or hinder their rebuild in the coming months, it's clear that general manager Will Dawkins will have to do everything he can to make the right decisions in what could arguably not only the most important offseason in the team's long-awaited rebuild, but in franchise history as a whole.
That said, the Wizards top priority for the coming offseason should be one thing: finding a future star to build around.
Wizards must find a way to land a star in this upcoming NBA Draft
The Wizards have selected inside the lottery over the course of the last few seasons. With names like Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington to show for it, Washington has plenty of young talent that can be a focal part of their rebuild moving forward, but they've yet to find the much needed cornerstone for the team to build around.
Earning the No. 2 pick in last year's draft seemed ideal, but considering how weak the draft class was, the Wizards made out the best they could. Sarr has the skillset to be a very good player for Washington, but so far, it looks like he'd be more of key starter, rather than a superstar.
Fortunately for the Wizards, this upcoming draft class has plenty of pieces that could allow for them to reposition themselves for success in the coming years. Headlined by names like Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, there's multiple prospects that have the talent to develop into that superstar tier at the next level, and Flagg may be the most obvious.
However, there has been a growing concern that the Duke standout may decide to return to college for his sophomore season, which could turn all focus on Harper as the next best prospect.
Regardless of who's there, it should be top priority for the Wizards to walk away with one of either Flagg or Harper, even if they don't land the top pick. Whether they have to move up in the NBA Draft, or they get the desirable top pick, one of these two players have to be a Washington Wizard when it's all said and done.