What If The Washington Wizards Owned The 18th Pick?

The world of the National Basketball Association is filled with what if’s, buts, and what could have been’s. For the Washington Wizards, their NBA Draft will feature about an hour of wondering who could have been chosen with the 18^th overall pick. Nonetheless, the team traded their selection for a more proven player in center Marcin Gortat. Gortat will become a free agent this summer and its expected that Washington will have to spend about $13 million a year to keep the 29-year old around.

Now, the Wizards will only be able to watch as the Phoenix Suns make the pick and fans can only speculate who Washington would have chosen with the pick. As a whole the team is very well rounded and lacks a glaring weakness. Still, power forward Nene Hilario has put plenty of miles on his tires and has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. Also, at age 31, Nene is due to make $13 million a year and if the team drafted a younger power forward they would have been able to cut ties with Nene.

Had the Wizards owned the 18^th overall pick, the team would have chosen Clint Capella from Switzerland. Despite the team’s past miscues selecting foreign players, Capella would have been a very enticing pick for Washington and allows them to free up some cap space in the process. What Capella lacks in defense he makes up for on the offensive end and can score in the paint.   He’s not the most polished post defender, but is a great shot blocker and rebounder.

Capella would have been a prime fit for the Washington Wizards, but instead the team must focus on controlling what they can and that means resigning Gortat.