Washington Wizards Receive: G Eric Bledsoe, F Josh Hart, 2022 First-Round Pick (POR), 2025 First-Round Pick (POR), 2022 Second-Round Pick (MEM), 2025 Second-Round Pick (DET)
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: G Bradley Beal
In this package, the Portland Trail Blazers are hoping draft capital is enough to pry Bradley Beal away from the Washington Wizards. Given that they’d surely be rebuilding in this scenario, they may be right.
After all, that 2022 pick is top-10 projected. That gives the Wizards a chance to add a blue-chip prospect in addition to their own 2022 lottery pick. That gives them a head start on the tedious process of rebuilding an NBA team.
Meanwhile, the 2025 first-round pick is a fairly juicy one. At 31, Damian Lillard’s window is closing. It’s difficult to deduce where this Blazers team will be by the time that pick conveys.
It behooves a rebuilding club to take that type of gamble. If that pick falls in the top five, it justifies this deal singlehandedly.
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At the same time, maybe the Wizards don’t have that appetite for risk. They may look at this deal and opt for a surer thing. After all, if the 2025 pick falls outside the lottery, this is suddenly a somewhat light return for one of the best players in their franchise’s history.
If that’s how the Wizards feel, the next package should ease their minds.
