Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Wizards had a lot of great options with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, but they ended up choosing to trade it for Kelly Oubre.
He was officially selected No. 15 overall by the Atlanta Hawks, and Washington also had to throw in a couple of second-round picks to get the deal done. This was quite a wise choice for a franchise in desperate need of someone on the wing to help out John Wall and Bradley Beal. It was also a good pick considering that Paul Pierce may be on the move after he opts out of his player option.
The Wizards didn’t want to be left with nothing if Pierce ended up leaving town, so it is hard to blame them for grabbing Oubre. The SF averaged 9.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG during his time with the Kansas Jayhawks, and many analysts see him as a clone of Trevor Ariza. Washington had great success by pairing Ariza and Wall together, and they will be expecting similar chemistry when Oubre spaces the floor with the franchise PG.
The SF didn’t have a stellar college career, but he was projected as a lottery pick before his freshman season.
The Wizards needed extra help off the bench after the way things went against the Hawks this postseason, and they certainly have it now after making a trade with the team that bounced them. Flip Saunders has to love the way that this worked out, and fans should see the Wizards ride this draft pick to another playoff appearance.
Dave Daniels is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.
