Well, that was a depressing game for Washington Wizards fans. After a big win over the Philadelphia 76ers, they hoped to continue the momentum against the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers. Instead, the Wizards fell victim to one of the worst beat downs in recent NBA History.
Despite the devastating 162-109 loss, the Wizards gained something good in the loss. According to beat reporter Greg Finberg, the loss meant that the Wizards will get to keep their first-round pick.
"The Washington Wizards will officially retain their 2025 first-round pick," Finberg reported. "The New York Knicks owned the rights to the pick if it fell outside the top 10. The protections move over to 2025-26, where the pick is top-8 protected."
The Wizards' loss to the Pacers means that they are guaranteed to be the sixth-worst team in the league at best. Under the new lottery rules, the sixth-worst team can never fall below the 10th pick in the draft. Since the protection for the pick is from 1-10, the Wizards get to keep their first-rounder.
The Wizards currently have three picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. They have the aforementioned first-rounder (a top-10 pick) and two second-rounders, one of which coming from the Phoenix Suns. With the current records of teams, Washington has a high probability of nabbing a top-3 pick and the highest odds to get the first overall pick.
The Wizards are hoping to nab a franchise-altering player in the draft. They have selected some solid pieces in the recent drafts, such as Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and Bilal Coulibaly. However, no one has emerged yet as a definite franchise cornerstone. Should they get the first overall pick, they can take highly-rated prospect Cooper Flagg.
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This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 6:30 AM.