Which 8 Players Would The Wizards Protect If The NBA Expands?

One very hot topic around the association at the moment is that the NBA could be looking to expand relatively soon. With that, every team in the NBA will have to make crucial roster decisions that could turn out to be extremely costly in terms of young potential and veteran talent. The Washington Wizards are full of decisions like those, so let’s dive into which players the franchise would keep in an expansion draft situation.

Which 8 Players Would The Wizards Protect If The NBA Expands?

The NBA has not seen a two-team expansion since the mid-1990s when the league went international, adding the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies. In an expansion situation, new teams draft players who are “unprotected” from current NBA teams. Each existing franchise gets eight protected players. If a team’s player were to go undrafted, that player would return to their previous team.

With this information, Washington would be put in a chokehold. The Wizards have a perfect blend of young players with incredibly high ceilings to pair with their newfound veteran duo of Trae Young and Anthony Davis. In such a critical position, who would the franchise mark safe, and who would be left with the possibility of finding a new home?

Eight Protected Players

Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington, Will Riley, Bilal Coulibaly

One thing to understand in an expansion scenario is that you have to protect players that ANY franchise would want. Which is especially true for a brand-new franchise looking to build immediately. Young and Davis are expected to lead the young core of Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, and Bub Carrington into the future.

Will Riley has shown flashes of being an elite three-level scorer, capable of dropping 20 every night given the opportunity. While Bilal Coulibaly still has some growing to do offensively, the third-year pro has proven to be one of the best defenders throughout the NBA.

These eight players would almost certainly be taken with two teams drafting 13 or 14 players each. These selections ensure that Washington’s core is intact, while keeping the All-Star duo around. These eight players are critical pieces to Washington’s contention levels for the next several years; it would be hard not to protect at least seven of them.

With this out of the way, who would be the first few names to be picked up? Possibly more importantly, who would be making a return to the DMV area after the expansion draft?

Non-Protected Players

Justin Champagnie, Cam Whitmore, Anthony Gill, Jaden Hardy, Tristan Vukcevic, Jamir Watkins

Unfortunately, some Wizards players would almost certainly be picked if not protected. Two names jump out immediately: Justin Champagnie and Cam Whitmore. The first of the pair has been outstanding this season and is one of a few hidden gems for D.C. Whitmore is still yet to be a proven contributor, but one more change of scenery could change that.

Some names that could be taken are Jaden Hardy and Jamir Watkins. Hardy has proven that Dallas held him back slightly.  He’s averaging career numbers in multiple categories in his few games with Washington. Watkins is an elite defensive guard, capable of stopping anyone’s backcourt star.

With that, both Anthony Gill and Tristan Vukcevic would most likely return to their Wizards roots. To put it bluntly, Gill would not warrant a selection, but he’s a Wizards fan favorite and is respected throughout the DMV. Vukcevic, while slowly improving, has not shown enough to garner significant interest.

It’s important to note that an NBA team can only lose one player throughout the entire expansion draft. So, Champagnie or Whitmore are the major candidates, leaving the rest to rejoin the team.

The Last Word

The league seems to be gearing up for a massive new look with two new teams arriving. Conference shifts, expansion drafts, and multiple players moving look to be on the horizon. With that, Washington’s protected eight could be among the most important in the league. The long-time rebuilding era is finally reaching its end. However, if the front office makes one bad move, it could set them back to the dark ages.