- 14 hours ago
Could the Wizards actually trade back a spot? Brian Geltzeiler details what offers might look like.
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00:00Now, we're jumping on the Rude Guest Hotline to talk to our friend, Mr. Brian Geltzeiler
00:04from SiriusXM NBA Radio.
00:08Brian, what's up, dude?
00:09How are you?
00:10I'm good, guys.
00:11How are we doing?
00:12We're doing well, man.
00:13We're fired up in D.C.
00:14The lottery balls finally went our way, dude.
00:18What was your reaction to the draft lottery yesterday?
00:23Danking seemed to work this year, boys, right?
00:25I'm changing the rules.
00:27You know, you had a handful of teams that were all trying to be really bad.
00:33No one accomplished that more prolifically than the Washington Wizards,
00:37and they get rewarded with the number one overall pick in a stacked draft
00:42that could very well be transcendent for the amount of star players
00:47it delivers into the NBA.
00:48So when you look at the Wizards right now, the young core that they have,
00:52they made two deals for veterans that have been all-stars in the past
00:56that both struggle to stay healthy in their own way.
00:58But nonetheless, they've certainly made every attempt to put themselves
01:01on the map to have some relevancy for next year.
01:04So I think if you're a Wizards fan, there's no reason not to be
01:08ridiculously hopeful right now about what's coming up in the future.
01:12Absolutely.
01:13And I'm curious, like, now that we've gotten through the draft
01:16and the Wizards get the one pick, this draft is loaded, I think.
01:20Most experts are just me watching college basketball.
01:23I believe that.
01:25But there also isn't a Cooper Flagg or a Wemby-type prospect.
01:30Who do you believe is the best player?
01:32Is it DeBansa?
01:33Is it Peterson?
01:34Is there some guy that stands out to you that has to go number one?
01:39Guys, there may be three or four Cooper Flagg, Wemby-like prospects.
01:43Now, listen, let me go back on that.
01:44There's no Wemby.
01:46You're not going to get a Victor Wemby-Nyama.
01:48That's a generational guy.
01:50But Cooper Flagg-like prospect?
01:51You could have three or four of them.
01:52Frankly, Adrian DeBansa, I would take first.
01:55I think he's the most talented player in this draft.
01:57I think his combination of size, strength, speed, athleticism,
02:01what he is on the perimeter, who he can be inside.
02:04Listen, he didn't play great defense in his one year at BYU,
02:07but I think there's a profile of a very good defensive player out there
02:11for A.J. DeBansa.
02:12So he's the guy I would look at.
02:13Darren Peterson, who appears to have solved this cramping problem
02:16with too much creatine.
02:17Who knew, right?
02:18You know, take a drug that's going to add water weight to your body
02:21and you get more cramps.
02:22Who knew?
02:23I mean, right?
02:23So he appears to have solved that,
02:26but that's an incredibly talented player who is just smooth as smooth could be,
02:31has a lot of gravity.
02:32And listen, the thing you heard about him
02:34and you saw in the McDonald's All-American game,
02:36all the other stars were deferring to him
02:38because that's how good he is,
02:40that how much respect he garners,
02:42and that's how he carries himself.
02:43Caleb Wilson may be the most athletic player in this draft.
02:48Okay, who can be a four or potentially a five
02:51because of how strong he is.
02:53And from 15 feet and in, the guy's literally unstoppable.
02:56And that's another guy with an excellent defensive profile out there.
03:00And in a league that's valuing, you know,
03:03in not only speed and athleticism, but size as well,
03:07Caleb Wilson could be an undersized five
03:09that could be really effective for you.
03:11And again, another guy with a potential to be transcendent.
03:13I haven't even brought up Carlos Boozer's kid yet,
03:16Cam Boozer, who, listen,
03:17I think Boozer is going to be more of like his dad with a three-point shot.
03:22But by the same token, his dad with a three-point shot,
03:25a pretty awesome player.
03:26Like, he's not an above-the-rim guy,
03:28but he definitely can guard a little bit.
03:31You know, he doesn't have a weakness offensively.
03:34And the team that drafts him, if he gets put in the right spot,
03:38he can really be someone that changes an organization as well.
03:41So, listen, it's a fantastic draft.
03:43You're fine if you got one of the top four spots.
03:45But obviously, if you're the Wizards here
03:47and getting the number one overall pick,
03:48you're going to have your choice of these four guys
03:51that all have the potential to completely change
03:54the fortunes of an entire organization.
03:56Well, Brian, when you hear the talk that the owner of the Utah Jazz
04:01really, really wants the bands and likes him,
04:04and you name all those guys and what the possibilities are,
04:07does it make sense to possibly trade that with them,
04:10move down, get one of these guys,
04:12and you might be able to get some first rounds for another year to come?
04:16Yeah, Brian, it's a great question
04:17because I think you have to explore the possibility.
04:20Yeah.
04:20Because the thing is this, if you're going to move down one spot
04:24and still get yourself Darren Peterson,
04:27and they, because if Utah trades up, it's for Devonza.
04:30That's who they want.
04:31Went to BYU, comfortable in that area.
04:34He's a player that they would easily find a way to fit in.
04:37And it also, listen, if they get Devonza or even Caleb Wilson,
04:42it relieves them of a difficult Walker Kessler problem
04:45that they have right now where he's going to get a massive offer
04:48and a restricted free agency from somebody.
04:50And the Jazz, who could have had two first-round picks for him
04:53as recently as a year ago,
04:54are going to end up having to let him go for nothing.
04:56My point being is that if you're able to do that with Kessler,
05:00get something, and then if you're Washington
05:02and you can get the number two pick
05:04and get some future draft capital,
05:07get a pick or two for the future,
05:09if the Jazz, who have a lot of picks to trade,
05:11are willing to give that up to you
05:13and you still get a player that you covet,
05:15or you're on the fence between Devonza and Peterson
05:17or between Devonza and Caleb Wilson,
05:20why wouldn't you take the extra assets?
05:22I think you have to see what's out there.
05:24And really kind of what I would also do
05:27is maybe hold a little bit of an auction.
05:30Say, okay, this is what you're going to give us
05:32if we trade down to two.
05:33If we trade down to three,
05:35what are you going to be willing to give us Memphis Grizzlies?
05:39Keep in mind, just collected four first-round picks
05:41last offseason in a Desmond Bain trade
05:43and have a whole lot of extra picks to trade,
05:45including some Utah picks from the Jaron Jackson deal.
05:49Like, I think in a draft like this,
05:51where you're so loaded at the top,
05:53if teams are going to covet one guy above the others
05:56and be willing to put their money where their mouth is
05:58regarding draft capital in a deal,
06:00you have, I'm not saying you have to do it,
06:03you have to entertain it and see what's out there.
06:05Yeah, it makes sense.
06:06It's just fascinating because,
06:10like, just this tie to Utah, Utah being a two,
06:13if Washington can just go back one, pick more stuff up,
06:16I'm with you, it absolutely makes sense.
06:19But do you think they can go back as far as three or four
06:22also with Memphis and Chicago there?
06:26Because, I mean, the top four picks in this seem crazy good,
06:29and I love Boozer and Wilson.
06:31I might like Wilson better than Boozer.
06:34Oh, I do like Wilson better than Boozer.
06:37I may like Wilson better than Peterson, guys.
06:39I don't know if I'm there yet, but I love Caleb Wilson.
06:42Yeah.
06:43Here's what I'll say.
06:44Listen, I happen to think,
06:46and I want to say this in the most respectful way possible,
06:49because I think Cam Boozer's going to be a very good NBA player.
06:53The athletic profile on the other three is just better.
06:57And so, again, I think he's going to be a very good NBA player.
07:00Here's my point.
07:01If I'm going to entertain trading down and pick up, as you said,
07:06just so eloquently, a bunch of extra stuff,
07:08and you should, if you're going to trade down,
07:10get as much stuff as you can,
07:11I would definitely draw a distinction between three and four
07:15because of that athletic profile.
07:17And, again, I say that with the utmost respect for Cameron Boozer
07:19that I think could be a multi-year all-star in the NBA
07:23and a potential all-NBA guy.
07:24So, I don't want to be disrespectful in terms of what he could be
07:28because he's an incredibly skilled player,
07:30and he's certainly not a bad athlete.
07:32He's a very good athlete.
07:33The athletic profile for DeBonsa and Peterson and Caleb Wilson
07:37is just a level above where Boozer is.
07:40And I think if you land the lottery,
07:43I don't know that they can give you enough future stuff
07:45that you're going to want to trade yourself out of the athletic profile
07:49of one of those other three guys.
07:51So, I probably would draw the line at three to answer your question.
07:54We're talking with Brian Geltziler here on the Rude Guest Hotline.
07:57You can give Brian a follow.
07:58B. Geltz, G-E-L-T-Z, NBA.
08:02B. Geltz, NBA.
08:04Listen to his work on SiriusXM, NBA Radio.
08:07Check him out on NBA TV as well.
08:11Brian, just somebody that knows this league and works in it every day,
08:14what does your gut tell you right now, the day after the lottery,
08:17if Washington's making the pick or trading it?
08:21Making the pick.
08:23I would think that, well, because I look at the roster in a couple of ways.
08:28First of all, Anthony Davis, who already is unhappy
08:31because he wants a contract extension,
08:33that the Wizards are very smart enough to give him right now.
08:36And the other thing Anthony Davis is not going to be happy about
08:38is on this team, he's probably going to play the five.
08:41You can call Sar the four as much as you want.
08:44Anthony Davis is going to play the five.
08:46And to me, if I can slot A.J. DeBonsa as a 6'9", 220-pound three
08:53that can guard the perimeter and play inside and out
08:56and have him next to Alex Sar, who can do two things very well,
08:59block shots into threes, and have Anthony Davis in my frontcourt,
09:02I'm going to go with this ultra-giant frontcourt
09:04and feel like, well, if it doesn't work out with Davis,
09:07I can move on from him.
09:08And I know that if I wanted to shift DeBonsa and Sar to the four and five,
09:12depending upon what else I get and who else develops,
09:15whether it's Kula Bali, whether it's Trey Johnson,
09:17I have the option to do that.
09:19The position versatility of these three guys,
09:22I think DeBonsa, Sar, and Anthony Davis,
09:24allows the Wizards a lot of optionality,
09:27and not only what you want to do on the floor,
09:29but you have to anticipate it not going well with Anthony Davis
09:33and know that you have a pivot plan.
09:35And if you draft DeBonsa,
09:38you have a good pivot plan away from Anthony Davis.
09:41And I think it's very important for the Wizards for their future
09:43that there's not this delusion to who Anthony Davis is going to be for the team.
09:49He's still a guy that struggles to stay on the floor,
09:51and he's still a guy that doesn't give you as much
09:53when he's miserable about his contract situation.
09:55My point being is that if it was me and it was my decision to make,
10:00I would entertain those.
10:01And listen, if I get really bowled over with an offer,
10:04I've got to look at it.
10:05But in the absence of getting what we like to call a godfather offer,
10:09gentlemen, I would be drafting A.J. DeBonsa.
10:12Yeah, because I think the possibilities they have,
10:15they've got A.J. DeBonsa they can use as a trade until moving down.
10:19And then you've got Anthony Davis, who,
10:21not happy here, somebody may think he could be the piece of their puzzle
10:25because he wants to be on a contender.
10:27They're not a contender right now.
10:28I will utilize that, and, I mean, in one year,
10:31you could probably build a team.
10:33So, Brian, here's what I'll say to you about that.
10:35You're right about Anthony Davis wanting to be on a contender,
10:38but there's one thing that he wants more than to be on a contender.
10:41Money.
10:41To get one last massive contract extension.
10:44That's correct.
10:45Okay, and if the Wizards were willing to give him that money,
10:48you know how fast Anthony Davis could convince himself
10:50the Wizards were a contender right now?
10:51Right.
10:52Whoever's going to give him that money, he'll decide and contend.
10:55Dude, that's where he is.
10:57Dude, I don't want him that money.
10:58And that's kind of part of my point with him,
11:02is that the Wizards right now are being smart.
11:05Don't.
11:05He just proved that he couldn't stay on the floor
11:08for even a third of the season.
11:10And the injury history is checkered.
11:13And listen, I feel bad for Anthony Davis
11:15because this Luka deal almost attaches, like,
11:17the NBA's version of a scarlet letter to him.
11:20Like, somehow in the end, he was not even close to enough.
11:23And for the player that he's been for all these years in the league,
11:26I don't think that's fair either.
11:27But nonetheless, you can't step up and pay him
11:31until he shows you at least a modicum of health
11:33and that he can be productive in this situation.
11:35But that's also going to be what comes first,
11:37the chicken or the egg,
11:38because he may not be that guy in this situation
11:41if he isn't paid.
11:42So that's kind of my point with all this,
11:45is be careful hanging your hat on Anthony Davis.
11:48And I think the Wizards up until now
11:49have handled it pretty well.
11:52Once they get him, you know,
11:53kind of on board in training camp with the team,
11:57they'll get a little bit of a better idea
11:58of what they have and what he's going to be.
12:00But again, do not make moves here,
12:03especially with this number one draft pick,
12:05with the thought that Anthony Davis
12:06is going to be, like, a pillar of their future
12:09because I think the odds of that happening
12:12are pretty slim.
12:12I mean, dude, in the NBA especially,
12:15let's say you could remove the Davis injury concerns,
12:19which are significant.
12:20He's still going to be 33.
12:23You know, like, there's a lot of tread on those tires.
12:25It's just, I agree with you.
12:27The Davis thing, if he plays,
12:30maybe that is kind of the bridge
12:33to this team getting competitive right away
12:35and this young core they're building
12:37getting some playoff experience.
12:38But, like, he's not the long-term answer.
12:41And I think the organization is smart enough
12:44to know not to pay him either.
12:46I hope.
12:47I think, listen, if they were going to pay him,
12:52I think they would have paid him already.
12:54I really do.
12:55And again, he can come out and prove himself.
12:57And what they may end up doing is,
12:59if he does play well, they say,
13:01okay, let's opt out of the last year of your deal.
13:04Let's sign you to a multi-year deal
13:06at a lot less than the max.
13:08You get paid longer,
13:09and we get to stretch money out on our books.
13:11There is a world and a solution where that works.
13:14But your point is well taken.
13:15He is 33 years old.
13:17And bridge is the right word to use.
13:19He's a bridge to your future
13:21to try to show some of these young guys how to win.
13:24But my point is that
13:26if he's not happy with his contract situation,
13:28all he's going to do is show these young guys how to sulk.
13:31And I don't know that you want that around your team.
13:35There's so much hope there right now.
13:39There's a nice young core now that you're going to add,
13:42whether it's Adrian DeBonce or Darren Peterson,
13:44you're going to add a high-level talent
13:46to a group that's got a whole lot of potential.
13:49Again, I love Alex Saar.
13:51I like Bilal Koulibaly.
13:53George has shown himself to be able to be something
13:56that I think could be part of the long-term future.
13:59You know, Trey Johnson, to me,
14:00is going to have to narrow up the shot selection a little bit.
14:03I think that comes with some maturity.
14:05There's talent with this group.
14:07And I think you want to make sure
14:09that everything that you think about
14:11and every decision you make
14:12has this group going in the right direction.
14:15Listen, it's funny.
14:16We've talked a lot about Davis.
14:17I haven't mentioned Trey Young much.
14:18I'm a lot less concerned with Trey Young
14:21because with Trey Young,
14:22you kind of know what you're getting.
14:23We know the Wizards sat him this year
14:25when he could have played.
14:26And there's no doubt about that.
14:27We know Trey Young will move the ball on offense.
14:30We know he'll be spotty shooting the basketball
14:32because the last three years have told us that.
14:34But he will absolutely set other guys up.
14:36And we know that his defense is a traffic cone.
14:39So at least you know what you're up against
14:42with Trey Young and know how to build around it.
14:44The questions of Anthony Davis being in and out of the lineup
14:47and then when he's there being unhappy
14:49and affecting the young guys in a negative way,
14:52that's the stuff to me
14:53that the Wizards have to be front row about monitoring.
14:56Listen, they didn't trade great draft capital
14:59for Anthony Davis.
15:00My point being is that if you had to move on from him,
15:03you don't need to necessarily,
15:04like they're not in a situation
15:05like the Rockets are with Durant
15:06where he traded a valuable first round pick,
15:09Jalen Green and Dylan Brooks for him.
15:11And now if you're going to move on from him,
15:13for your organization,
15:15for the healthy organization,
15:16you need to get something meaningful.
15:17I don't think the Wizards are there
15:19with Anthony Davis and what they gave up for him.
15:21It was a worthwhile risk in the moment.
15:23And I think in the end,
15:25if it doesn't work out for them with him,
15:27they move on and they lean into this young group.
15:30I've had this conversation with a few people.
15:32Any possibility they have enough
15:35to end up having a guy like the Greek freak
15:39on this basketball team?
15:43Brian, I don't know that you want to do that.
15:45The short answer to your question is
15:46I think they probably do have enough.
15:48I think if they really wanted to go get him,
15:50they could sacrifice future drafts.
15:53They have all their picks.
15:53They could sack, they could give Milwaukee
15:56all the picks, all the swaps that they want.
15:58And listen, if you say Alex Saar,
16:00Milwaukee's going to perk up and listen.
16:02You'll get with Saar as a lead piece,
16:05okay, and send the right salaries back,
16:07picks and swaps.
16:08You're in this Giannis thing.
16:09Here's the question I would ask you.
16:10Why do you want to be?
16:12And I say that for this reason.
16:14Would there be enough there afterwards
16:16that Giannis would be able to contend
16:18because you still have to get Giannis' name
16:20on a contract extension?
16:21And that's the whole key.
16:23To trade for him blind
16:25and trade all of these assets,
16:26not knowing that he's going to commit to you long term,
16:29to me, that's a gamble
16:30that this organization doesn't need
16:32because if it fails,
16:33it sets this organization back 10 years.
16:35The other thing is this that I'll say,
16:37and Giannis, when he's on the floor,
16:39is still one of the three best players in the league.
16:42He's got it.
16:42He's outstanding.
16:43He's missed a lot of games
16:45with a lot of lower leg injuries,
16:47and he's 31 years old
16:48and plays a physical style of play.
16:50And is his game going to age well?
16:52I'm not positive.
16:53And the thing is with Giannis,
16:55the price tag is going to be so high,
16:57especially in draft capital
16:58because Milwaukee's got literally no draft capital.
17:01Like, people that talk about Minnesota
17:02and the Knicks getting involved
17:03in the Giannis sweepstakes,
17:05I think it's ridiculous.
17:06A team with no picks can't get Giannis.
17:08Milwaukee's not doing it.
17:09Okay, but the thing is,
17:11is that if you're going to give up
17:11all that draft capital,
17:13to do that and have these risks
17:15hanging over your head,
17:16unless you're positive,
17:17you can contend immediately,
17:19I'd be careful.
17:20I'd be careful diving in there.
17:21I kind of think this longer runway
17:23and this longer road,
17:24especially what the Wizards
17:25and their fans have gone through
17:26the last few years
17:27with these miserable, rough years
17:28to finally have a number one pick.
17:30Because, listen,
17:30Milwaukee's going to ask
17:31for a number one pick first,
17:32and you know the Wizards
17:33are going to say no.
17:34And will that be a non-starter?
17:36Probably not.
17:37It was Sarr and all these other
17:38future picks and swaps.
17:40The Bucs would have to listen
17:42because I don't know
17:42what else is going to be
17:43out there for them.
17:43But I'd be really,
17:45really careful
17:45just because there's some,
17:47you know,
17:47health question marks
17:48regarding Giannis' future
17:49that I don't know
17:51that I would want to take
17:52after all this suffering
17:53Wizards fans have done.
17:54I don't know that I would
17:55turn around and want to
17:56make that the best chance
17:57that you have
17:58to win here in the future.
17:59I'm with you, dude.
18:00As a Wiz fan,
18:01like,
18:02they tore it all the way down,
18:04which was the right move
18:05to rebuild it the right way,
18:06and to do that
18:07as young players emerging.
18:09Brian,
18:09before we let you go,
18:10I've got to ask you this.
18:11I'm looking at your Twitter profile,
18:12B-Gelt's NBA.
18:14You can check him out
18:14on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
18:17On here,
18:18you write,
18:18Grant Hill once called me
18:20Tony Soprano.
18:21Can you explain that?
18:23I would love to.
18:25So,
18:262018,
18:26I was working with NBA TV.
18:29We were doing
18:30a studio show,
18:31an all-day studio show
18:32for All-Star Weekend
18:33outside of the Staples Center.
18:35It was not the Crypto.com Center,
18:37yet that's how long back it was.
18:38And I was blessed enough to,
18:40I was doing,
18:40at the time we had
18:42a nightly pregame show
18:43called 10 Before Tip,
18:44and they asked me
18:46and my late great friends
18:47Sekou Smith
18:48and Dennis Scott
18:49to join Jared Greenberg
18:51up on the studio platform
18:53to do a segment
18:54promoting our show
18:55later that evening.
18:56And it was an incredible moment,
18:57guys.
18:57Our voices were out
18:58over the PA system,
19:0030,000 people
19:00watching us live.
19:02It was really cool.
19:03And Jared Greenberg,
19:04a close friend of mine
19:05who's still with
19:06Turner Sports
19:07and does college basketball
19:08for them,
19:09used to joke around
19:10because I'm a Jersey guy
19:11and I'm a huge Sopranos fan.
19:12He would refer to me
19:13as the NBA TV's version
19:14of Tony Soprano.
19:15So that was Jared's
19:16on-air joke.
19:17So we get done
19:18with our segment
19:18and after our segment,
19:20Grant Hill,
19:21Isaiah Thomas,
19:21and Shaq
19:22were coming on
19:23to take over for us
19:24in between segments.
19:25And as we get done
19:26taking the microphone off
19:27and ready to move off
19:28our set,
19:29Grant Hill does a beeline
19:30for me,
19:30pulls me in for a hug
19:32and says,
19:32my man Tony Soprano.
19:34And we got a big laugh
19:35out of it.
19:35But since then,
19:36I kind of feel like
19:37that's a claim to fame.
19:38I don't know,
19:38you can find a lot
19:39of other guys
19:39that covered this league
19:40that Grant Hill ever
19:41called him Tony Soprano.
19:42So it's a proud moment
19:43for me.
19:44So I hang out
19:45my Twitter profile
19:45for the whole world to see.
19:47I like it.
19:47I like it.
19:48Hey, Brian,
19:49we really appreciate
19:49your time, man.
19:50This is great.
19:51We'll circle back
19:51as we get closer
19:52to the draft.
19:52I'll do it again
19:53anytime.
19:54My pleasure, guys.
19:55Always, always.
19:56Reach out anytime.
19:56We'll talk to you soon.
19:57Thanks, dude.
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