Report: Wizards snag former 1st-rounder Pasecniks for summer league
Days after the Philadelphia 76ers renounced the rights to Anzejs Pasecniks, the 2017 first-round pick is set to join the Washington Wizards' summer league roster, a league source told The Athletic's Michael Scotto.
Pasecniks' path to the Association has been unusual. Having remained in Europe with Spanish side Gran Canaria, the 7-foot-2 Latvian is the only player selected in the first round of the 2017 draft yet to make his NBA debut.
Initially selected by the Orlando Magic with the No. 25 pick, Pasecniks was dealt to Philadelphia on draft day for a top-20 protected 2020 first-round pick (via the Oklahoma City Thunder) and a 2020 second-round pick belonging to the Brooklyn Nets or New York Knicks. Though not as ill-fated as then-executive Bryan Colangelo's move to trade up for No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz, the Pasecniks acquisition proved similarly unfruitful.
With the 23-year-old angling to make the NBA this season, the costs associated with bringing in the former first-rounder proved prohibitive for an increasingly competitive 76ers team, The Athletic's Sam Amick reports.
Pasecniks tallied 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in just under 17 minutes per contest across 22 appearances in the EuroLeague last season.