Why No. 1 pick headlines key reasons Wizards can follow in Knicks’ championship footsteps

The New York Knicks and Washington Wizards were once in similar positions — both losing franchises in iconic cities with loyal fan bases. Now, the Knicks are champions for the first time since 1973, while the Wizards still haven’t made the conference finals since 1979.

Both teams have had the NBA’s worst record in recent memory, as New York went 17-65 in the 2018-19 campaign and Washington had the same record this past season. The difference is that the Wizards won the draft lottery as a result, while the Knicks fell to the No. 3 overall pick and selected Duke guard RJ Barrett, missing out on star Duke forward Zion Williamson (No. 1 overall) and Murray State guard Ja Morant (No. 2).

Both Williamson and Morant now have two All-Star nods under their belts, and the latter player earned All-NBA Second Team honors in 2022. Barrett has yet to reach those heights, but New York traded him for one of the most important players in franchise history.

The Knicks sent Barrett, guard Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick (via the Detroit Pistons) to the Toronto Raptors for a package including forward OG Anunoby in December 2023, who earned All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2026 and scored a game-winning tip-in during Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. New York defeated San Antonio 107-106 to take a 3-1 series lead and finished the job with a 94-90 victory in Saturday’s Game 5. The 28-year-old finished the postseason averaging 20.1 points on 56.1% shooting (48.9% 3-point) with 6.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks over 34.5 minutes (17 games).

On the other hand, Washington needs its upcoming lottery pick to be its franchise player. Luckily for its long-suffering fans, the team can choose between star BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, star Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and star Duke forward Cam Boozer at No. 1 overall, who each have more upside than Barrett did as a prospect. The prevailing belief around the league is that the Wizards will choose Dybantsa, per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel.

“Even he believes he will be going first, as sources close to the situation told ClutchPoints that Dybantsa left his workout at the end of last week with the Wizards fully of the belief that he will be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after what was said to be a ‘perfect’ visit,” he wrote on Tuesday.

Regardless of whether they pick Dybantsa or the other two options, they’ll have their player to build around for the future. Conversely, the Knicks unexpectedly found their alpha in the 2022 offseason, when they signed former Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson. The two-time NCAA champion was a complementary piece to star guard Luka Doncic in Dallas, but he earned All-NBA Second Team and Finals MVP honors this year.

New York has gotten out of the conference quarterfinals in each season since signing Brunson after not previously doing so since 2013. Meanwhile, Washington is also poised to improve after five straight non-playoff seasons, as it’ll likely have a rotation headlined by its lottery selection, star guard Trae Young, star big man Anthony Davis and fellow big man Alex Sarr come October.

However, the reason why the two organizations are similar starts at the top.

Wizards, Knicks owners hired methodical executives

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and Knicks owner James Dolan have each overseen many non-playoff seasons, as the Knicks have missed the postseason 16 times since Dolan took over in 1999 and the Wizards 11 times since Leonsis took over in 2010. Dolan cycled through several team presidents/general managers after firing Ernie Grunfeld in 1999, including Dave Checketts, Scott Layden, Isiah Thomas, Donnie Walsh, Glen Grunwald, Phil Jackson and Steve Mills before hiring Leon Rose and William Wesley as president and executive vice president in 2020, respectively. The latter two men built New York’s championship squad.

On the other hand, Leonsis retained Grunfeld in 2010, who had been Washington’s president of basketball operations since 2003 under former owner Abe Pollin. He then replaced Grunfeld with Tommy Sheppard in 2019 before hiring Michael Winger as president and Will Dawkins as general manager in 2023.

Winger and Dawkins have plenty to prove in comparison to Rose and Wesley, but the owners have stayed out of basketball operations in both situations. Dolan admitted on Brunson and fellow guard Josh Hart’s podcast in 2025 that he regrets interfering in previous years, which include instances like gutting the team’s depth and assets to acquire Carmelo Anthony in 2011. Additionally, Leonsis admitted in April that Winger and Dawkins “play chess when sometimes it seems I might have been playing checkers [beforehand],” per Sports Business Journal’s Tom Friend. He allowed the two executives to strip the Wizards down to the studs and build them back up after refusing to do so despite having no winning seasons in the Sheppard era.

The difference is that Rose and Wesley walked into a better situation, as they inherited a roster led by Barrett and forward Julius Randle. Those two players along with newly hired head coach Tom Thibodeau led the Knicks to their first playoff appearance since 2013 in 2021 before getting bounced in the first round by Young and the Atlanta Hawks. However, Randle earned Most Improved Player honors and Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year.

That season laid the groundwork for the organization’s championship, as that trio along with Brunson led it to a second-round appearance in 2023 before it traded Barrett the following season. New York then lost in the second round again following several injuries in 2024 before sending Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo and a 2025 first-round pick (via the Pistons) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for star big man Karl-Anthony Towns that fall. It then made its first conference finals appearance since 1999 before falling to the Indiana Pacers for the second straight year and replacing Thibodeau with Mike Brown. The latter coach finally guided New York to the mountaintop this year.

Conversely, Winger and Dawkins inherited a roster headlined by veteran guard Bradley Beal’s maximum contract that included a full no-trade clause, which is unheard of for non-legends. Rather than attempt an immediate playoff appearance, the two executives immediately flipped Beal to the Phoenix Suns for a package including fellow guard Chris Paul, beginning a series of deals that eventually led to them getting Young from the Hawks last season. They also inherited forward Kyle Kuzma, who they flipped to the Milwaukee Bucks for forward Khris Middleton and guard AJ Johnson in 2025 before sending the latter two players to the Mavericks in the Davis deal last season.

Meanwhile, Washington bottomed out in each of the last three seasons, allowing it to draft Sarr No. 2 overall out of Australia in 2024, Texas guard Tre Johnson No. 6 overall in 2025 and whomever it picks No. 1 on June 23. It also traded inherited big man Daniel Gafford to the Mavericks in 2024 for a first-round pick that year (via the Oklahoma City Thunder), which it used to draft Weber State forward Dillon Jones. It then flipped Jones to the Knicks in a draft-night trade for Miami guard/forward Kyshawn George.

The Wizards now have a mix of star veterans, an incoming star prospect and promising young players, as Sarr averaged 16.2 points on 48.2% shooting (33.3% 3-point) with 7.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and two blocks over 27.2 minutes (48 games) last season while George averaged 14.8 points on 43.8% shooting with 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and one steal over 29 minutes (48 games). Additionally, Johnson shot 35.8% from deep on 5.4 average attempts as a rookie, and 2025 No. 21 overall pick Will Riley averaged 10.3 points on 43.9% shooting (31.3% 3-point) over 22.1 minutes (74 games).

Wizards, Knicks set up well despite missteps

The process hasn’t been perfect, as Washington dealt inherited forward Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2024 for a package including Pittsburgh guard Bub Carrington (No. 14 overall pick that year), a 2029 first-round pick and guard Malcolm Brogdon. Avdija earned his first All-Star nod in 2026, while Brogdon walked in free agency last offseason and Carrington’s game has yet to stand out besides three-point shooting. The 20-year-old shot 40.8% from deep on five average attempts last season.

Additionally, Winger nixed a deal to send Kuzma to Dallas in 2024 at the veteran’s request despite the absence of a no-trade clause in his contract, per The Athletic. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on “The Hoop Collective” that the Mavericks offered two first-round picks, which looks questionable for the Wizards to pass up on in hindsight given that Dallas won the 2025 draft lottery and took Duke superstar Cooper Flagg. It’s not confirmed that the Flagg pick was included in the offer, but it’s possible.

Rose and company also made a controversial move by sending a package including five first-round picks and an unprotected first-round pick swap in 2028 to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Mikal Bridges in 2024. The former Villanova Wildcat averaged 26.1 points on 47.5% shooting (37.6% 3-point) in 2022-23 and was an All-Defensive First Team honoree in 2022, but he hasn’t played to that level with the Knicks. That looked unfortunate before they won the title, as they used assets they could’ve used to get Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will likely be dealt this summer. But in the end, New York achieved the ultimate goal anyway.

The Wizards will try to do the same eventually, starting with a competitive 2026-27 season after three straight campaigns at the bottom. Like Brunson (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) in New York, they have a small veteran point guard who will raise the floor in Young (6-foot-2, 164 pounds). In Washington’s case, the incoming lottery pick will be the franchise player instead of the veteran guard, but Young will still help the young players develop and win more games for as long as he’s around. Ditto for Davis, who has one more year on his contract before a $62.7 million player option next offseason.

The bottom line is that Winger and Dawkins are showing similar patience to Rose and Wesley, albeit with different strategies. Most importantly, Leonsis is allowing his basketball executives to gradually build a contender after years of watching his franchise toil in mediocrity, just like Dolan.

If that continues, the Wizards could contend for a title by 2029, which would be six years into their current regime. Of course, New York won it all six years into its current regime as well.

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