Wizards' fifth pick subject to pre-draft trade talk

Grunfeld (left) and Coach Flip Saunders ought to rename
the area District of Minnesota, but Miller and Foye will give
Washington some much needed scoring and skill in the
backcourt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Various sources including ESPN and Yahoo! Sports report the Washington Wizards and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed in principle to a draft-day trade that would send Washington's Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, Oleksiy Pecherov, and the Wizards' fifth pick to the T'wolves for Mike Miller and Randy Foye.  Is this a win, a loss, or is Washington not done yet?

Yesterday, during Wizards' President Ernie Grunfeld's sort of irritated response to a "mock draft boards" question during his 20 minute presser, I sort of got the impression Grunfeld had something up his sleeve.  Check out 14:06, when he bumps the microphone after suggesting a trade deal, and check out 14:15 to 15:35 to see a lengthy talk about mock drafts.  No love for the mock?

Wizards Insider Michael Lee said it best last night: "[I]f there is one area where Grunfeld has succeeded in during his time in Washington it is making shrewd deals."  On one hand, now Washington is thinned out in their frontcourt, but with Miller, a small forward/shooting guard, and Foye, a combo guard primarily shooting but with passing skills, Washington basically received two decent players for Darius Songaila.

You can argue Thomas' case, after years and years of injuries, and I would even argue for Pecherov, because if he can ever find the minutes, he can certainly "find the buckets."  Songaila did give Washington a consistent scorer, but near-Olympian and former Sixth Man of the Year Mike Miller plus Randy Foye might just be worth giving up both Songaila and that fifth pick.

Like Michael Lee, I am not completely sold on this trade yet, but one thing Washington really needed was three point shooters and now they have them in spades.  The biggest question is with this trade, is Washington satisfied?  Suddenly Nick Young is displaced behind a barrage of able shooting guards, Dominic McGuire has to compete with Miller at small forward, and what about DeShawn Stevenson?  Does he battle it out for starting position at the 2 or is he on the road as well?

D.C. Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg says the draft is dead.  I won't get into a "Hip Hop" argument here, but Washington is still going to be looking for their #32, and there will certainly be enough to talk about going over roster depth alone.  It's unlikely Washington will be able to find a center or power forward that deep in the draft, but it's very likely for the Wizards to be able to pick up a decent small forward or guard that late.  Sure, it might not have the buzz of the Top 5, but if Gilbert Arenas was a second-rounder, then who knows?  Either way, the trade does take some air out of that big red draft-day balloon.

Once the trade is official, I'll profile the newcomers and give an official goodbye to the leaving talent, and maybe jack-up an open three, spit at an open mic, then finish off with a 16-foot jumper.
 

If you enjoy my column here on Examiner, please subscribe for instant notifications of new articles and follow me on Twitter!