Whom do the Wizards want? The Washington Wizards won the lottery, but GM Ernie Grunfeld was being coy with reporters about whom the Wizards would take with the No. 1 pick by saying there are a lot of good players out there. Could he really be thinking of taking someone other than John Wall? Don't read too much into it. The NBA actually discourages teams from announcing ahead of time who they'll take with the No. 1 pick. Last year, the league got testy with Los Angeles Clippers GM Mike Dunleavy after he spilled the beans to a reporter early that they would select Blake Griffin. Although some people have noted correctly that Wall isn't a perfect fit in Washington because of Gilbert Arenas, keep the following points in mind: First, a source inside the Wizards has been telling me for months that Wall is atop their big board. Second, many scouts believe that Wall and Arenas can play together. They believe that Arenas is more of a 2-guard at heart and that together they'd be an explosive backcourt. Third, despite the previous point, you can expect that the Wizards will shop Arenas hard in the next few months. They were going to try to trade him regardless, but being able to get Wall gives them even more incentive. Arenas won't be easy to move. He has four years and $80 million left on his contract, has battled injuries the past few seasons, and is coming off an embarrassing scandal. But he isn't impossible to trade, either. He's still one of the best scorers in the league, and if the Wizards are willing to take back some junk in return, they could probably move him. One team I'm told will have interest if it strikes out in free agency? The New York Knicks might consider swapping Eddy Curry (who will be in the last year of his contract) for Arenas. Source: ESPN
This isn't even a choice for the Wizards. The way it looks right now, Wall is the closest thing to a sure thing, and they can't take a chance on anything else. They know Arenas needs to be gone asap. They need a new face for the organization. Wall's the safest bet. FWIW, I think the kid's going to be great. He was a spoiled, cocky high schooler prior to heading to Word of God. He's grown so much the last few years. Comes across as a humble, hard-working kid from everything I've read and the interviews I've watched. He's going to bust his rear for whoever takes him.