Luck is a necessity when an NBA team begins a rebuild without a top-flight star to trade and without extra future first-round draft picks in its cupboard, as the Wizards did two years ago. So, circle May 12 on your calendar.
That’s the day of the draft lottery, when Washington will learn whether it will win a chance to pick either Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper in this year’s draft (assuming Flagg enters the draft).
But as important as the random bounces of ping-pong balls will be, a rebuilding team also must do everything it can to succeed in the areas it can control. In the Wizards’ case, that includes making smart, well-informed choices in the draft, developing its players well and using any means at their disposal to give themselves more opportunities to land high-level talent.
For now, until May 12, that is the lens through which the Wizards’ 2024-25 season should be evaluated.
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Washington Wizards made their own luck in 2024-25, but now they need more
