J. Kyle Mann

If you lay out the one through five based on what they have now before they go into the lottery, Trey and also other Trey and Keyshawn George and SAR and AD, that's like a very competent lineup that really clicks in alongside each other.

We've talked at length about SAR being next to an actual big and or to offset some of his particularities.

Um, I,

I will say this.

The cost was zero.

It was basically the opportunity cost of filling your cap space in the same way that they've had in the past couple years, which is just taking on other people's mistakes and getting draft picks for it.

The two picks they're getting in the AD deal are basically the 30th pick this year because it's coming from the Thunder, and it's a top 20 protected Warriors pick in 2030.

It's nothing.

They got these guys for free.

Right.

Having said that, I just don't know what being competitive in this like one to two year zone while Trey and AD are like your focal points really gets them as opposed to continuing the long and harder process of building toward whatever this draft pick is going to be in the collection of young players before.

And so like, I don't think you could be super mad about it.

I don't ultimately know what the net gain is because these guys are not going to be around when the team that you're hoping to build will ultimately come to form.

And I would rather like opportunity, like, like other picks or just other young guys in order to be there as opposed to just nothing.

But I think it speaks to the overall point there, where it's like, what is the ultimate goal of this version of the Wizards?

It's to be as competent as possible, if only to sell to your owner that we are doing something while we're waiting for the actual team to click in.

I find myself just vacillating between this being a prime example of why you tank or why tanking is just kind of a fool's errand, where it's like going out and getting these guys really is an indictment on what they've drafted thus far and is kind of reminding me of the...

the magic of a previous vintage where it's like, we keep drafting at the top of the draft.

We don't get the actual true blue chip guys.

And we're just stuck being kind of middling.