3 best Wizards trade scenarios for end of draft lottery

The Washington Wizards have stacked up as many draft assets as possible since president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins took over in 2023, as they’ve acquired five players in the first round over the last two summers. However, they only have one first-round selection this year after sending the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2026 first (No. 30 overall) to the Dallas Mavericks when they acquired star big man Anthony Davis in February.

The Wizards then lucked out and landed the No. 1 overall pick in May’s draft lottery, but they don’t need to stop there. They could acquire another first-rounder before or during the draft on Tuesday, something that Winger said is “not inconceivable” after they won the lottery, per The Athletic’s David Aldridge. After all, they need a backup big man, and they could find one with a second first-round pick.

Washington will choose between star BYU forward AJ Dybantsa or star Kansas guard Darryn Peterson at the top of the draft, either by using the No. 1 pick or sliding back one spot. Whichever player it selects will be its cornerstone piece, but it will still need another big man.

The Wizards currently have Davis and Alex Sarr for the starting lineup with Tristan Vukcevic and Julian Reese off the bench. Davis and Sarr played a combined 68 games last season, and the latter player is recovering from foot surgery after getting hurt during an offseason workout. Additionally, Vukcevic allowed a defended field goal percentage of 51.7, which was the fourth-highest in the NBA among players 6-foot-10 or above (minimum 40 games played), per NBA Advanced Stats.

Finally, Reese played the first 13 games of his career across March and April after Washington signed him to a two-way deal, so he can’t be relied on as a consistent piece yet. Given Vukcevic’s defensive struggles, the organization needs a more reliable backup at the position.

Luckily, there are plenty of prospects in this draft who could fit that bill and are projected to be taken outside the top-10. Michigan duo Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. as well as University of Washington freshman Hannes Steinbach and Kentucky sophomore Jayden Quaintance are all examples, although the Wizards will have to cough up assets to get one of them.

Quaintance has slid in mock drafts due to his knee injury, so they could get him for a cheaper trade package than the other three. Here are three mock trade scenarios for the end of the lottery (between picks 11 and 14), with a bonus non-lottery trade for the 2025 Big 12 All-Defensive honoree:

Wizards make deal with Warriors for Aday Mara

Mara would be a dream fit for Washington, as he’s a 7-foot-3 rim protector who could make an impact right away at the next level. The 21-year-old was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last season and one of the main reasons why the Wolverines won the national championship.

The issue for the Wizards is that Mara might be the hardest player to get out of the aforementioned group. The native Spaniard could be the first center off the board, and teams like the Atlanta Hawks (No. 8) and Dallas Mavericks (No. 9) could use him. However, let’s say he’s still available when the Golden State Warriors are on the clock at No. 11.

In that event, Washington could send the following offer:

Warriors get:

• F Justin Champagnie
• 2026 No. 51 overall pick
• 2026 No. 60 overall pick
• 2027 second-round pick [via BKN or DAL]
• 2027 second-round pick [via CHI]
• 2028 first-round pick swap [MIL or POR swap rights]
• 2029 first-round pick [via BOS, MIL or POR]

Wizards get:

• 2026 No. 11 pick (Aday Mara)
• G Will Richard

Giving up Champagnie would sting, as he led all players under 6-foot-7 with 2.1 offensive rebounds per game (minimum 45 games played) and shot 50.2% from the field on 6.7 average attempts last season. Plus, he’s just 24 and will make $2.6 million next season before a $3 million club option the year after.

However, getting arguably the best center in the draft won’t be cheap, and the Wizards need more help at that position than at forward. They would also swap Champagnie’s remaining two years for Mara’s four-year rookie deal while adding a developmental guard in Richard for salary-matching. The 2025 No. 56 overall pick averaged 6.4 points on 46.8% shooting (33.5% 3-point) with 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals over 20 minutes (69 games) last season.

Also, this trade allows Washington to keep its own first-round picks while giving Golden State an upgrade at backup forward as it tries to win one more championship with 38-year-old Steph Curry.

Wizards land Morez Johnson with Thunder pick

If a trade with the Warriors doesn’t materialize and Mara is off the board, the Wizards could call Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who Dawkins used to work for. Oklahoma City owns the Nos. 12 and 17 picks in this year’s draft, and it already has a championship-level squad. Therefore, the No. 12 selection would be more useful to Washington.

The Wizards could offer the same package as the aforementioned Golden State proposal, except they would acquire forward Kenrich Williams instead of Richard to make the money work. The 6-foot-9 Johnson doesn’t have Mara’s size, but he earned Big Ten All-Defensive honors and averaged 2.5 offensive rebounds over 25.1 minutes last season.

Wizards acquire Hannes Steinbach with Heat pick

The Miami Heat could give up the No. 13 overall selection in a blockbuster trade for superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, but making a deal with them for Steinbach would make sense for Washington if that doesn’t happen. The Wizards could give up the same offer as the previous two scenarios and acquire forward Myron Gardner as the salary-matching player.

Steinbach led the NCAA with 11.8 rebounds per game last season and is 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. The native German also has a jump shot, as he shot 34% from deep on 1.8 average attempts.

Wizards draft Jayden Quaintance with 76ers pick

Quaintance played just four games for Kentucky last season due to swelling in his surgically-repaired right knee, a result of his torn ACL and meniscus from his freshman season at Arizona State. However, the 6-foot-10, 255-pounder averaged three offensive rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.1 steals over 29.7 minutes for the Sun Devils before going down that year.

That type of productivity and size makes Quaintance a worthy flier later in the first round, and Washington could pull off a trade for a cheaper offer than the aforementioned one. For example, it could send guard Bub Carrington and forward Cam Whitmore to the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 22 pick instead of Champagnie, as they’re not as valuable but are talented enough to be productive bench pieces for a depth-starved squad. The outgoing picks are the same in this mock offer, with the Wizards acquiring forwards Dominick Barlow, Trendon Watford and Johni Broome for salary matching.

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