Let me start by saying that the Wizards decision to trade for Bilal Coulibaly (7th pick) in exchange for Jarace Walker (8th pick) on the 2023 Draft night was the right move. Looking at this same Draft class, there were a couple of players who were not only targeted by the Wizards Front Office and/or fan base but they could be added to this team and it wouldn’t break the bank. Let’s start with the player who was technically drafted by the Wizards, Jarace Walker.
Jarace Walker was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 8th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and then traded to the Indiana Pacers for Bilal Coulibaly’s draft rights. Since then, he only played in 33 games in his Rookie season, averaging only 10 minutes played, and has not played at all this season. Eventually, the Wiz will trade Kyle Kuzma and the Power Forward position could be vacant. He would be a nice compliment to Alex Sarr in the Front Court and even if the Wizards get the number one overall pick in the upcoming Draft and select Cooper Flagg, Walker could be a great bench player if given minutes. Walker was also born in Baltimore. Let’s talk about another Maryland product that was much coveted by the Wizards fanbase, Cam Whitmore.
Maryland’s own Cam Whitmore was the name that a lot of Wizards fans wanted to hear on Draft night but he slid to the 20th overall pick which was made by the Houston Rockets. When given minutes, he has been productive and has been good. Displaying natural scoring instincts and athletic attacks to the rim, he’s a dawg. Playing time is the problem. Like Jarace Walker, he played sparingly in his Rookie season, and in the case of this season, not at all. Bring him home and pair him with Bilal. Now where he would play is the question. He’s a wing who can also play the Power Forward position. If he plays the wing, they would have to slide Bilal to SG, and Bub would revert to 6th man and run the second unit. Kyle Kuzma being traded is the move that needs to happen before you even entertain a potential deal for Whitmore or Walker but both players could be solid pieces for the Wizards and they could be acquired on the cheap. What do you think?
