Hachimura Wins Wizards' Stealth-Draft Sweepstakes
Now we know.
Danny Ainge isn't the only dude who springs surprises at the NBA Draft.
However, even though this stunner came from the Washington Wizards, no one's really sure who made the decision or how it came about.
Rare footage of their war room gives a clue as to how their selection of the ninth overall pick came down:
All history's gonna record is they selected Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura.
Which, as things go with that franchise these days, was news to Hachimura.
He's got all the makings of being an awesome choice. That's not what's weird. The fact dude had absolutely no contact whatsoever with anyone from Washington was ... interesting.
Not often does an interim GM get carte blanche to make such profound moves like a team's first-round draft selection, especially one who skipped the combine and cooled his jets instead.
Until further news comes to light, though, that seems to be the deal.
Rui Hachimura told me that he didn't meet with the Wizards before he was selected ninth. He didn't speak to anyone from the team, either. This was just as surprising to him as anyone else.
— Ben Mehic (@BenMehicNBA) June 21, 2019
Not that Hachimura will mind. As a first-rounder, dude's getting paid:
- Two years' guaranteed, with a median expectation of $7,439,00 plus a
- Team option for two more years that likely won't be less.
Ironically, Tommy Sheppard may not have felt the need to communicate with Hachimura, but that didn't stop him from corresponding with other teams.
Tommy Sheppard on possibility of #Wizards trading back from No. 9: "We tried to trade back until you hear people are trying to trade up to get him ahead of us. ... When we got the [trade] call, we kinda knew who they were calling about. Say thank you and hang up. Took our guy." pic.twitter.com/ag7Ude7uQV
— Hoop District (@HoopDistrictDC) June 21, 2019
Then again, that's the draft process. What choice does a draftee really have?
Besides that, it's clear to all the Wiz is getting an known quantity.
A few other surprises happened on the night:
- North Carolina's Cam Johnson went 11th to Phoenix, which was earlier than expected;
- College rejector Darius Bazely went 23rd to Oklahoma City, which was a case for none-&-done; and
- Auburn's Chuma Okeke went 16th to Orlando, which restores faith in surgeons and the power of recovery.
Of course, as Ainge will be the first to confirm, all this is smoke-&-mirrors until the games start counting in the fall.
That's one reason he didn't hesitate to trade last year's first overall position to the Sixers so they could take Markelle Fultz.