With the draft a week away, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo share what they're hearing on players and moves from around the league.
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Alex Sarr, PF/C, Perth (Australia) | Age: 19.1
Rival teams have largely viewed the Wizards as a landing spot for Risacher or Sarr, depending which direction the Hawks go. That line of thinking has held up so far, although the radio silence out of Washington has some teams still curious about its intentions at No. 2.
That said, Sarr has not yet gone to Atlanta and did work out for Washington last week. The Wizards did quite a bit of homework (and travel) to evaluate him during the course of his season with Perth.
Stephon Castle, Clingan, Buzelis and Williams are among the other top prospects that have worked out for the Wizards. Some of those players feel more like contingencies, whether it's via trade, or if Sarr goes No. 1, but the Wizards have done their due diligence.
Washington has the runway available to be patient with Sarr's development, making it a strong fit for him -- and vice versa -- on paper. Sarr arguably has the greatest upside available here, with the physical attributes to be a top defender, as well as the makings of a useful offensive skill set as a finisher and improving floor-spacer.
Isaiah Collier, PG, USC | Age: 19.6
While it seems unlikely at this point that Collier, once viewed as a top prospect in this class and now
ranked No. 22 in ESPN's Top 100, comes off the board in the lottery, he did receive a green-room invitation and now represents an interesting value pick for teams that can swing on his playmaking talent.
Collier does have interest from teams in the late lottery, but there are realistic scenarios in which he falls toward the back of the first round. It can be difficult for competitive teams to find minutes for a point guard whose key areas for improvement are decision-making and long-range shooting -- logically, Collier might need G League time, particularly if he lands with a playoff-level team. He is a gifted athlete and passer with good size on the ball.
Drafting a talent such as Collier in this back part of the first round would be terrific value for the Wizards if he slides to No. 26.
51. Washington Wizards (via Suns)
Keshad Johnson, PF,
Arizona | Age: 22.9