Make no mistake: the Wizards’ new front office liked Deni Avdija.
They’re the ones who gave him a four-year extension last fall for $55 million. And Avdija had a really, really good season in Washington last year, posting career highs in scoring, rebounds and assists, and wildly improving from deep (career-best .374 on 3s).
But…this front office did not draft him. As such, it wasn’t wedded to him as it is to, say, Bilal Coulibaly, whom Washington acquired in a draft-night deal last season from Indiana.
The Wizards were determined to add a second first-round pick this year, so that they could take another swing at someone with lottery potential going forward, along with whoever they take with the second pick tonight.
At 14, they will now have that chance, along with adding another first-round pick (2029) and two future seconds to their increasing cache of draft picks. According to multiple league sources, the Wizards brought in Pitt freshman guard Bub Carrrington for a last-minute visit in the days preceding tonight’s draft.
Carrington is viewed as one of the better young point guards available in the draft, having made the all-rookie team this past season in the ACC, and garnering honorable mention accolades for the all-ACC team.
www.nytimes.com
