00:00The third pick will be made by the Memphis Grizzlies.
00:10Picking second will be the Utah Jazz, and that means that the number one pick in the
00:162026 NBA Draft goes to the Washington Wizards.
00:20God, it's never going to get old hearing that.
00:23Usually Mark Tatum ruins my day.
00:26The bear of good news this time is the Wizards will pick first in the 2026 NBA Draft.
00:33We've been reacting here on The Fan, taking you up to 6 p.m., Ben Schrober, Linnell Willingham.
00:37We are with you celebrating all the way through.
00:40We posed the question, what do the expectations look like for this Wizards team in 2026?
00:46You have Trey Young in the fold, Anthony Davis as it currently stands right now, and now
00:50you're adding the number one overall talent in this 2026 NBA Draft.
00:54If you get some leaps forward from some of your other key young guys, like it's Keyshawn
00:57George or Alex Saar, this team has to bare minimum be in the play-in next year, most likely
01:03just based on the talent alone, but I want to get the temperature of everyone.
01:06800-636-1067.
01:08What are your expectations for the Wizards in 2026 now that they have the first overall pick?
01:13This is what's fascinating, right?
01:16Let's go through some of the guys that are on this roster.
01:18Trey Young, Keyshawn George, the number one pick, Alex Saar, Anthony Davis, Trey Johnson,
01:27Will Riley, Balao Koulibaly, Bub Carrington, Jaden Hardy, Jamir Watkins, Tristan Vukjevic.
01:34I think Champagny.
01:36Champagny's going to play big minutes.
01:37I think there's a consolation trade coming here for another piece.
01:42I think they're going to move, they have a log jam between, on the wing, as we all know.
01:48They have a massive log jam.
01:49I think their biggest need right now on paper to me is backup center.
01:55Absolutely.
01:56I think, would you be down for like trading a couple of the young guys to go get a legitimate
02:01backup center?
02:02It depends which young guys you're referring to here, because like you have the long jam,
02:06as you mentioned, on the wings.
02:07You're going to find out who you value the most.
02:09But the thing that's important about this year for me, this is the first year where
02:12we can start to really evaluate these young players based on how they can win you games.
02:17We don't know the answers to those questions right now.
02:19And Justin Champagny, I know you don't see a lot of him.
02:23And somebody, if you look at the box scores, he gets DNPs.
02:25There was a reason for that.
02:26He impacts the team winning too much.
02:28If you look at all the advanced metrics, because he's out there snagging offensive rebounds
02:31at 6'6", Champagny's going to play elite winning basketball for this team, I think.
02:36So I wouldn't expect him to be the guy.
02:37But now, in 2026, when you have real expectations, you don't have a cloud hanging over your head
02:42of this top eight protected pick, you get to start evaluating how these young players
02:46can handle being in an environment where you're competing, trying to win games.
02:49Because not everybody is going to rise to the cream of the crop.
02:52No.
02:52Somebody's going to be left behind.
02:54That's why training camp for this team is going to be uber important.
02:58Summer League for this group is going to be uber important.
03:03It just feels like that trade is coming.
03:06I don't know which trio of youngins it'll be.
03:09I don't know which duo of youngins it'll be.
03:11But I know.
03:13Let's just look at what they have from like a cap standpoint, an asset standpoint.
03:18Their best free agent tool is the entire full mid-level exception that they have.
03:24That can be used to go get a win-now impact veteran that can come in here.
03:29You need the bruising big.
03:31Yeah.
03:31That's what you need.
03:32You need physicality.
03:33Because you were the lightest team in the NBA last year.
03:35Will Dawkins likes to draft players that are skinny.
03:38And now, they're expected to fill out their frame, obviously.
03:41But as it stands right now, when you were the youngest team in the NBA, that'll show when you go
03:44against a Giannis Antetokounmpo, a Carl Anthony Towns, Bam Adebayo, Paolo Bancaro.
03:49If you can't match up physicality-wise with some of those guys, your answer is bringing in a big that
03:54can command the middle for you and be the physical bruiser that you need.
03:59OKC did the exact same thing when they went out and acquired Isaiah Hartenstein.
04:02That is the exact kind of player I think the Wizards need right now.
04:05And a name that I look at, I think this is a bit of a dark horse candidate, and it's
04:09a long shot for them to get this guy.
04:11I'm looking at Mitchell Robinson from New York.
04:14It feels like a long shot because they're probably going to extend him.
04:18But Mitchell Robinson would be somebody that's super interesting.
04:21I look at Robert Williams.
04:22He's had injury history.
04:24But he's a guy that I think 110% would fit that bill.
04:28So another name that's kind of eh, that maybe people aren't going to be over the moon about, and maybe
04:35not a lot of people know this name, veteran, Andre Drummond.
04:39Andre Drummond's giving really, really good backup center minutes for Philadelphia here in the postseason.
04:44That's a guy, Zach Collins out in Chicago, is a 28-year-old that kind of fits your young timeline.
04:50And I want to bring up another point here.
04:51We've been bought in the youth movement, of course.
04:53Yeah.
04:54But it doesn't last forever, obviously.
04:55Not all of your young guys fit into what you're looking for.
04:58I mean, you think about what the OKC Thunder, and I bring them up so much because that's what you're
05:02emulating here with Will Dawkins and Michael Winger as your executives.
05:05You're trying to emulate what OKC has done.
05:07There's a reason they look like an unstoppable juggernaut that's never going to lose.
05:11Again, the trade they made when they moved off of Josh Giddey, a guy they didn't feel like fit within
05:17what they were trying to do.
05:18You get Alex Caruso, a defensive demon, a guy that gives you those adequate minutes that you need off the
05:22bench.
05:23When you feel like you're ready to take that step forward and win a competitive, like you're trying to compete
05:27to win a championship, you're going to add those type of veteran players to your team.
05:31So buckle up.
05:32There might be one more year here where you're really starting to evaluate, see who's contributing to winning, like who's
05:36going to be with you going forward.
05:38But at some point, you're not going to have just all babies on the roster anymore.
05:41You're going to find who are the best of those guys.
05:43They're going to become grown men, and they're going to start winning you games, and then you're going to add.
05:46You're going to supplement to your team.
05:47Again, I'm excited about what is to come here with the Wizards.
05:52The question we were asking at 1-800-636-1067 is this.
05:56What are the expectations for the 2026 Washington Wizards?
06:01I think it's a fascinating conversation.
06:03It kind of goes into roster construction, as we were just talking about.
06:07Their biggest need, obviously, is backup center.
06:09How are they going to address that spot?
06:11If they can get a quality backup big in here and get a legit backup frontcourt, I love the starters.
06:18I love the wing depth off the bench.
06:21Then I don't want people to think, what the hell is crazy?
06:24What the hell is he talking about?
06:25Let's just go through it team by team here in the Eastern Conference in terms of their outlook.
06:29The best returning teams in the East next year are going to be Detroit, Boston, and the New York Knicks.
06:36Now, for two of those three teams, Boston and New York, if New York doesn't make the finals, I can
06:42see them totally revamping what they look like right now.
06:45What's going to happen to Boston?
06:47Well, I think it's silly that every time they come up short, people want to break that duo up.
06:51But they're going to be in the Robert Williams business.
06:54They're going to be in that big business.
06:55They're paying four guys pretty much all of their money right now is the thing.
06:59Yeah.
06:59Derek White feels like he's the odd man out in Boston.
07:02That could be a guy that has moved, and that's a guy that would impact winning on a really good
07:07team, for sure.
07:08About to say, look at Cleveland.
07:10What are they going to do?
07:11They're going to have to revamp their core.
07:14Orlando's going to be fully healthy, so they're going to be in that mix.
07:17I mean, they got screwed today, but Indiana with Tyrese Halber, they're going to be back.
07:21I mean, they basically traded the fifth pick for Zubats, so feel how you want to feel about it.
07:26They'll be good next year.
07:27They'll be back.
07:28They also got off of Benedict Matherin, too.
07:30I know that's the one that kind of hurt Indiana Pacer fans.
07:32But this Eastern Conference, I think the Wizards fit in that top six line.
07:40I think if we're being reasonable, can they fit within the top six?
07:44The top six this year, Detroit, Boston, New York, Cleveland, Toronto, Atlanta.
07:49You expect Orlando to be more in that conversation.
07:52You expect Charlotte to be in that conversation for the entire day.
07:55They're on the up and up.
07:56If Philadelphia is able to stay healthy, I don't know how quickly they're going to be able to make this
08:00jump.
08:00I was talking top four earlier when I was high off of the lottery drawing.
08:04But realistically speaking, your goal should be to make the play in.
08:10That's your first goal you've got to accomplish here is be a seven-seater higher.
08:15Absolutely, because the first time you make the playoffs with a young group of players, you're not going to win
08:19anything.
08:19That's the reality.
08:20NBA playoff basketball is a different sport than the regular season.
08:24And what we've seen in the playoffs this year has completely proven that.
08:28I mean, I thought Detroit was going to get bounced.
08:30It took them coming back 3-1 against Orlando just because Orlando kind of felt like they were built a
08:35little bit better for the playoffs.
08:37Just because Cade was the only guy that was getting it done in terms of offensive production.
08:41Do you feel like you need a co-star alongside you to be that guy?
08:44So we're going to have conversations about if DeBatsa or Peterson becomes your star, who becomes the co-star that
08:49you need in the playoffs.
08:50That's why I think, dude, Trae Young and Anthony Davis got to be licking their chops right now.
08:55Dude.
08:55Like, look at the situation that they're in.
08:57AD and Trae Young.
08:59Trae Young, I think, is just a happy-go-lucky guy and just wanted to get out of Atlanta.
09:02AD was genuinely contemplating, I think, asking out.
09:06Now you get the number one overall pick.
09:08When you talk about lack of postseason experience, right, Ben?
09:11Don't discount the fact that those two guys are going to be a part of this rotation.
09:16I think it's about time we have a conversation about Anthony Davis.
09:19He's made a lot of comments.
09:20Does he want to play in D.C.?
09:22Is he sure he wants to play in D.C.?
09:24We've heard a lot about that.
09:25But now that they have the number one overall pick, has Anthony Davis changed his perception
09:29about how he feels about playing in Washington next year?
09:32Want your calls at 800-636-1067?
09:34We tackle that next here on The Fan.
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