NBA Mock Draft: Who could trade for the No. 1 pick?

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Jan 21, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) warms up against the Orlando Magic before the game at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Washington Wizards finally trade Bradley Beal

Assuming the Wizards also jump into the top four (a 9.4 percent chance), they could offer a pretty compelling package. It would take some salary matching on the other end but if they decided it was finally time to move on from Bradley Beal, they could package him with their top-4 pick as the leverage to move up and get Wembanyama.

A package built around Beal and their first-round pick would allow the Wizards to clear some cap space to re-sign Kyle Kuzma and bring back another young player or two in the trade (maybe Lu Dort or Cole Anthony) that they might actually want to build into their rotation. They’d roll into next season with a lot more financial flexibility and a core of Wembanyama, Kuzma, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert and another piece or two from the trade.

There would still be a lot of rebuilding work left to do but it’s as big a swing as they could take in pivoting to the future.

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