Brogdon thought he was headed to D.C. before draft night originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Wizards entered the 2022 offseason with one priority stemming from their roster: find a productive point guard to pair with Bradley Beal. One such player, Pacers PG Malcolm Brogdon, emerged as an early candidate to fill that void in D.C.
It wasn’t to be, though, as Brogdon was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for a first-round draft pick and a wealth of bench players shortly after the draft. Brogdon was a bit surprised that Boston would be his final destination.
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In fact, when asked if he was mentally prepared to join a particular new squad, Brogdon admitted he thought the Wizards would trade for him.
“I thought it was going to be Washington,” Brogdon said on The Woj Pod. “I heard the Pacers loved the idea of having that 10th pick and having two picks in the lottery and I knew Washington needed a good veteran point guard to pair with Brad Beal. I knew I fit his timeline and knew that everything fit.”
Washington did indeed hold a powerful trading chip with the 10th overall pick in the draft. It was rumored they’d ship away that selection to snag a starting point guard, but ultimately drafted Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis.
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The Wizards further bolstered their backcourt by trading for Monte Morris (who will likely fill that starting point role) and Will Barton in a deal with the Denver Nuggets. Just over 24 hours later, they signed free agent PG Delon Wright on a two-year deal. From having no depth at the position to having two proven veterans within 48 hours, Washington’s floor general spot looks to be shored up on the depth chart.
Still, Brogdon had his eyes set on landing in the nation’s capital prior to draft day. Part of his excitement at potentially playing for the Wizards arose due to his personal connection to the area.
“I’m basically homegrown in D.C., lot of roots with the University of Virginia, family there. It would have been a little too perfect,” he said. “As we got closer to the draft that day, my agent called and said, ‘It’s probably not going to happen, Washington looks like they are going in a different direction and going a little bit younger. They might actually use that 10th pick and not trade it.’”
Brogdon’s agent’s forecast was correct.
Whether or not it was a mistake for Washington to pass on Brogdon is impossible to tell at this point. One thing that’s become clear is that the Wizards did get better in the backcourt by adding two savvy veterans in Morris and Wright, capable of providing not only scoring but perimeter defense as well. Davis could also provide valuable bench minutes at shooting guard behind Beal.
Brogdon, meanwhile, enters an appetizing situation in Boston. He’ll join a Celtics squad that is fresh off a trip to the NBA Finals and likely provide backup PG duties behind Marcus Smart.
The stars didn’t quite align for him to join the Wizards, but like most NBA veterans, Brogdon takes changes in scenery in stride.
“By the time we got to the draft that night, I realized I was not going to go to Washington, which wasn’t crushing,” he said. “But it was sort of a change of mindset, now.”
