Wizards make no draft picks for 1st time in club history
WASHINGTON - The Washington Wizards sat out the NBA draft entirely, the first time in the franchise's 55-year history that the team did not make a selection.
''The people we were looking at weren't available at the time we were looking at,'' Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said as the draft concluded a little past midnight on Friday. ''And this wasn't one of the stronger drafts in recent memory.''
The Wizards entered the draft, which began Thursday night, without a pick because they had traded two away.
The club's first-round choice, No. 13 overall, was sent to Phoenix in the deal that brought forward Markieff Morris to Washington in February. The second-rounder went to Atlanta in the 2015 draft-day swap that landed rookie Kelly Oubre Jr.
Washington had always taken at least one player in each draft, even after it was cut to two rounds in 1989.
Last season, the Wizards went 41-41 and missed the playoffs, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference. Coach Randy Wittman was fired and replaced by Scott Brooks.
The team is expected to bring back restricted free agent Bradley Beal, and the other four starters remain under contract. But only one reserve, Oubre, is signed for next season, leaving plenty of room on the roster.
Grunfeld said Washington will look to bring in some undrafted players before veteran free agency begins July 1.
''It's a good opportunity for a lot of players who didn't get drafted, or players that are looking for a spot, because we have so many roster spots,'' Grunfeld said. ''There's an opportunity here.''