BREAKING: Wizards trade for F Cam Whitmore! Will Dawkins is COOKING

BREAKING: Wizards trade for F Cam Whitmore! Will Dawkins is COOKING

On today’s episode, Kim Whitmore is a wizard. We love this trade and we’ll talk about why and more next on Locked On Wizards. You are Locked On Wizards, your daily Washington Wizards podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Hello all and welcome back to another episode of Locked On Wizards. I’m Abdullah Yubi, credential member of the Washington Wizards and host of DMV sports zone page. And I am here with the great and pink Benjamin Strober, producer with DC sports talkers 1067 the fan and the team 980. Thanks for making Lockdown Wizards your first listen every day part of the lockdown podcast network your team every day. And remember locked on Wizards is free and available on all platforms including YouTube at Lockdown Wizards where the best way to help us grow is to comment anything below. And today’s question is do you love the Kent Whitmore trait as much as us? Today’s episode is also brought to you by Game Time. down the game time app today. Create an account and use code lock on NBA for $20 off your first purchase. Benjamin, enough of me talking. Cam Whitmore is a freaking wizard. How are we feeling?
I mean, I’m I’m feeling great about the trade. I’m not going to feel great later because I you could see right here, I’m pink. I’m I’m a redhead, so I’m I’m burnt as hell right now. I just got off the boat where I was fishing and I received the news the second I got in my car that Cam Whitmore was heading to the Washington Wizards for two second round picks. And I was like, “Oh my god, Will Dawkins just keeps us on our toes.” Because a quiet, very doldrum free agency to say the least. We had not seen any moves or the only really speculation we had seen about the Wizards was the Jonathan Kamingo rumors which have been swirling around per the Athletic the past couple days. And then this just comes out of nowhere. I can say right now that this is a move that I absolutely did not expect whatsoever. And you know, a couple weeks ago, you and I were talking about it. Uh Cam Whitmore, how was he not involved in that trade uh for Kevin Durant where Kevin Durant goes to the Rockets? You know, you’d figure that he would be included in that deal uh to go to Phoenix because of how young and promising he is. You know, widely considered the steel of the draft two years ago here in the NBA. The Wizards now have nine first round picks from the last three drafts. So, Will Dawkins in this front office is doing exactly what I think is the right move here because they are stacking up as many high upside players as possible at this point. They’re giving themselves so many chances by swinging consistently here that I mean I feel like the the thinking here from Dawkins, Winger, and Shank is that they’re going to hit on some of these guys. You’re going to find your home run player here. Now, the Wizards have just a plethora of really, really young talent. The youth movement just continues to grow. I mean, I’m stoked up right now about it and I’m looking at the official tweet I’ll say right now. Pers Shams, the Houston Rockets are trading Cam Whim, the Washington Wizards for two second round picks. I think those picks are those second round picks that they acquired through trade. Uh, I think one of them was from the Bulls and one of them from the Kings. A lot something like that. And then I tell ESPN the deal gives Whitmore tremendous opportunity for an increased role as he turns 21 on Tuesday and returns to the DMV area. He grew up um a DM a Wizards fan. So that’s insane to think about and a part of me is wondering maybe did he have the option to choose to come to Washington because again we talked about Houston. You got they just paid Jabari Smith. Kevin Durant is there right now. So his role just really wasn’t there. And for me, I loved his game coming out of the draft in 2023. And he was one of the guys I wanted the Wizards to draft. And then we got Balak Koula Bali and he kept slipping and kept slipping whether if it was character concerns or health. But whatever it was, he’s proven why he should be any type of rotational player, even a starter at some point and turning 21 on Tuesday. That is insane. Shout out to Will freaking Dawkins. A quiet free agency period. I mean, we were talking about it like what are we talking about? Like really nothing much going on right now besides, you know, the team waving Anthony Gilt. You trade for Kim Whitmore and on top of that, you do it in complete silence. No rumors were talked about this. You know, John the Kamingo was the main attraction. Everyone was talking about that and on the back end of it, you’re dealing with Kim Whitmore coming to DC. That is incredible. Shout out to Will Dawkins for two second round picks. We talked about how well second round picks, that’s not that valuable. People were claiming that. And Kim Whitmore then, this guy has so much potential and I can’t wait. 67 forward. We’re going to talk about where he stands in this Wizards roster, but what a freaking move by Will Dawkins and crew, Ben.
And I’ll and I’ll say one thing. This is such a tight lip front office from what we’ve seen so far. And of course, The Athletic reports that the Wizards were interested in Kamingo along with like six other teams. So, I’m not sure how much I buy into because also there are a couple other sources saying that the Wizards hadn’t really shown any actual interest in Jonathan Kaminga. Kaminga, much like Whitmore, a player super young and super talented, especially on the offensive side of the ball that just wasn’t really getting a ton of run uh within the organization that they were playing with respectively just because of how how much talent was around. And I know there was kind of a a personal thing of course with Kaminga and Steve Kerr. Those two weren’t on the same page. So the Warriors were looking to kind of give him a fresh start somewhere. Uh but Whitmore just kind of, you know, falls into the thing where he doesn’t benefit in playing in a really crowded situation in Houston. Uh so much talent, especially at his position. You just think about all the guys uh that have come to Houston, especially this off season, uh that are going to play alongside Fred Van Vleet, uh Aean Thompson, Alfred Shangon, and then Kevin Durant added to the mix as well. Uh it’s just a really crowded situation for the Houston Rockets who are in a win now window and they make this trade here. And it is interesting that two second round picks gets the deal done for me because he’s so young like you said he’s turning 21 on Tuesday. Right. So for him to have the opportunity to kind of get another start here in Washington, you know, the place where he grew up, he’s a graduate of Spalding High School, and now he gets an opportunity to really showcase what he’s all about as a player amongst an entire group of young players surrounding him. And I just really want to know where he’s going to fit in in terms of the rotation right now. And you know, he strikes me as a guy. He’s at 6’7 and you, you know, you’d think at that point hybrid role like he could play the point four position pretty much. Uh you either stick him at the four, he could play the three. Uh but that’s such a crowded room right now for the Wizards because obviously you have your first round draft choice from two years ago, Bal Koulali playing off the wing. Uh Keshan George who emerged really heavily uh down the stretch of last year playing at the four. And you know, the Wizards didn’t really have anything going for them center-wise. And I guess maybe this is the signal here that Alex Sar is going to play the five next year primarily and then maybe I guess Whitmore slots in as the four. Does that leave Keshan George minutes on the table? I I just really I I at first glance I’m a little bit confused where he’s going to slot in, but I think the talent that he has, he’s a guy that is going to get a ton of run and make an instant impact on this team.
Yeah. And it’s just crazy to think about that. we have we’ll have a problem where there’ll be too much talent and we have to distribute minutes wise and it’s just Kim Whitmore last year and I get it the Rockets didn’t have as much playing time as he wanted to but when given the opportunities I’m looking at some stats last this past season 27 points 11 rebounds 36 against the Thunder 34 uh against the Lakers April 11th I get end of the stretch of the NBA season not really playing defense there but 27 in December of 2024 16 18 so there was so many stretches where you saw saw the potential of Kam Whitmore and now he comes to Washington a team that he grew up as a fan and he sees the role and it’s amazing because not too long ago we talked about it but even before that when I when I was on the walk on Wizards when I just started I said hey why not trade for Cam Whitmore this is a guy that probably don’t have to give up that much and the opportunity here is clear and it’s amazing will Dawkins not much move in free agency I’ll keep emphasizing that but Wizards fans we got a guy in Cam Whitmore who we can put at the three and the four and breeds needs competition. And now it brings me to the question, where does Cory Kissert lie, Ben? We talked about how he was a potential trade candidate come draft night, but he’s still on the Wizards roster, and after giving that extension, do you think there’s any room on this roster for him right now? I I honestly don’t think so. I don’t think, personally for me, I would be willing to get out of the Cory Kisper business by any means necessary at this point because I just don’t really think there’s a role for him to play here. Not to say that he’s a bad player at all. I think Cory Kisspert is a fine player, especially off the bench. Uh can shoot the three ball pretty well, decent at creating his own shot, but given the youth movement here, and I know it’s crazy to say that Cory Kiss is not part of the youth movement because he’s he’s old enough at that point where he’s he’s an unc considered by Wizard standards, but um I just don’t feel like he really has a spot. And someone in the comments actually said it best here that Coach Keefe is going to earn his money because he has so many players to rotate. It’s going to be really interesting to see how they work that out. Uh where does a guy like Tristan Vuvich slot in in this mix because, you know, you and I have made the made the point in our last episode that we’d like to see him get a lot more minutes this year, whether he’s playing at the four or the five. How does this affect the playing time we might see from him? Does it get pushed back a little bit if he’s on a two-way contract and maybe bring him on later in the year? Uh I would like to see him as early as possible. I’m presuming we’re going to see him play in the summer league, which will be exciting. But there’s so many different ways the Wizards can go from right here. They are taking so many swings. This is what you have to do at this stage in the NBA because you got to hit a home run at some point. And this is a guy that is considered one of the steels of the draft just a couple years ago. And the Wizards uh didn’t obviously take him at that point as he he fell down to the Houston Rockets. But now an opportunity to get another super young talented players and he didn’t have to give that give up that much to get him because one of the trade ideas that we had entertained a little bit something I had talked about with Lenel Willingham who we hope to have on here tomorrow uh to break down a little bit more of the situation that we have brewing in our nation’s capital for a trade for Jonathan Kaminga. The Warriors wanted a first round pick and then you, you know, you think to yourself, well, the Wizards do have that first round protected pick from Golden State in 2030. That was part of the Jordan Pool trade. But the Wizards were able to use a pick that they got when they traded Jonas Valentunis at the deadline last year as part of the deal. Two second round picks to get it done. So, the Wizards didn’t have to give up a whole lot to get the deal done, which is the most unbelievable part for me.
Yeah. And it’s a tough day for those people that say second round picks are useless because clearly Will Dawkins says otherwise. We’re going to talk about next just how bright is the future here in Washington. We got to give more credit where credit is due for Will Dawkins. This is Locked on Wizards. We’ve all been there. Logging on early and waiting forever for concert tickets to go on sale only to lose your spot for a show you’ve been dying to see. Live music should be about making memories, not dealing with the stress of ticket shopping. That’s where Game Time comes in. Game Time makes getting concert tickets faster and easier than ever. Prices actually drop as it gets closer to Showtime, and you can save up to 60% off with their killer lastminute deals. Tired of endless scrolling trying to find the best deal? Game time zone deals pick the best seats in your section for you. Ever wonder what your your view will actually look like before you buy? The app shows you a panoramic seat view, so there are no surprises. With Game Time, the price you see is the price you pay. No hidden fees. Worried about what happens if plans change? The Game Time Guarantee has your back with cancellation protection and more. Take the guesswork out of buying concert and show tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app. Create an account and use locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code LO CD N O MBA for $20 off. Download the Game Time app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. For those for those of you that are not uh unfortunately able to watch us on YouTube, Ben is really really pink right now. And it only took the Wizards can’t wait more for Ben to look like this. But Ben, just how bright we talked about it uh earlier on in today’s live stream. Just how bright is the future? Nine first round picks here in DC. That is insane.
I I can’t even believe it to think about where this organization was just a couple years ago. You think back to 2021 when this team was a fringe playin team gets in and and gets a gentleman’s sweep courtesy of the Philadelphia 76ers with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook on the roster. Then 2022 uh the team bottoms out. They sell Ruie Hachimura for a second round pick and Kendrick Nun in that trade. Then he goes off. Ruy Hachimura goes off in game one of the playoffs against the Grizzlies. And then Tommy Shepard uh he gets shown the door and from that point on it took a couple months and this new era is ushered in under Michael Winger, Travis Schlank and Will Dawkins and the moves instantly start to get made as they start to gut all of the pieces. The entire mess is entire thing to clean up because there was so much trash left over from the previous two regimes. You have Ernie Gruntfeld who created a mess and then Tommy Shepard just adds to it. It’s like garbage island out in the Pacific. And now Will Dawkins and crew have, you know, initiated the cleanup crew to get everything under control. They draft. They keep on drafting and then they start to trade, try to find assets, ways that they can acquire more draft picks. And that’s exactly what they do. They’ve made savvy moves, ones that we see as surprising at the time. They traded Denny Abdia on draft night to get Bob Carrington, who will be the starting point guard this year. And despite not having lottery luck, they were still able to obtain a really, really talented player in Trey Johnson in this draft. They add another former first round pick in Dylan Jones because of the other trades they were able to make throughout the past couple years. It’s just ridiculous. They’ve made so many moves that have all been just moving parts uh to get to where they’re at now. Nine first round picks on this team over the last three years. It’s unbelievable what we’ve seen. And now there’s just upside all over the place within this Wizards roster. Now you just get to the question of like where is this all going around who’s going to get what minutes. But this is a problem you want to have as a young team. You want to have the, you know, this issue where you don’t know who’s going to play where because you have too much young talent on your team. And the more chances you take a crack at it by swinging here with a young high upside player, they are bound to hit on somebody. I will say that right now. with the amount of people they have that are highly touted prospects, super talented, especially offensively. And now you add Cam Whitmore to the mix, it it’s unbelievable. I I barely even have words to speak of what we’ve seen from Will Dawkins right here. It’s insane value. Cam Whitmore about to turn 21, entering year three, averaged 9.4 points per game on 44% field goal percentage, 35% from three-point line, so he can shoot it as well in a limited role in Houston last year. So I imagine when he’s given the opportunities, the minutes here in Washington, which I think he will be given and it’s going to we talked, you talked about coach Keef earlier, his it’s going to be a lot to prove for him because there’s a lot of talent on this team. He has to figure out, hey, how many more minutes how many minutes I’m going to give Cam Whitmore compared to Tristan Vuchin is still here. Then on the backwards side of it, Trey Johnson, Bub Carrington, the law, Koula Bali, that year three jump that we want to see offensively, AJ Johnson, Dylan Jones, there’s just so much freaking talent here in Washington that a year ago from today, we we were thinking that we don’t have enough talent. But now there’s a possibility where there’s too much talent here in Washington. There’s only one ball, so we’re gonna have to figure it out. And giving up two second round picks, Ben, I mean, that is insane value. And on top of that, you still have so many second round picks to use. It’s just right now if I just don’t know how I get you want to see results, but how can you question what Dawkins and what he’s done so far? Every move he has done, it’s just going to make sense. And this Ken Whitmore trade is going to make sense in due time. And this is exactly what this front office had to do when they took over to clean up the mess. As I’ve mentioned so many times already in the past five minutes, this organization needed a direction. And by direction, I mean a plan. And what the plan for the Wizard has been is to bottom out for at least a couple years. And maybe we’re expecting them to do it for one more year here because you got to keep the draft pick up coming for next year. Uh which is going to be an insanely stacked class featuring guys like AJ Debons, the Boozer Twins, the list goes on and on. But with that, the Wizards also part of that direction was the youth movement, obtaining high upside players, people that will be super impactful players in this league when it’s all said and done, when the Wizards are ready to compete again. Right now, they are just bringing the talent up little by little. They’re giving themselves so much time to develop the players they have on this roster because there’s not as much pressure on them right now. You have all of these young players. you bring in a number six overall pick and Trey Johnson. Can Whitmore add to the mix? Everyone being so young and you know and on team friendly deals at the moment like this is why this is a better move right now than Kaminga because Kaminga would have to get paid right away which uh you know that could be a problem going forward for the Wizards. not sure what kind of money he would command in that situation and how the Wizards would come up with it and what it would mean for the guys to have here in the future now that they’re still in this position where they’re not quite ready to compete, but maybe they’re trying to speed up the process a little bit. You bottom out for one more year, then next year, I mean, you have all the the cap space, the financial flexibility freeing up and still more assets likely to come if you can flip guys like Middleton, Marcus Smart, Kelly Olen, whoever else. Uh C.J. McCollum, of course, how could I forget about him? The Wizards are are priming themselves to be in a position where by the time they’re ready to compete, they’re going to have these players almost at the top of their game, starting to enter their prime. And that’s exactly what the Oklahoma City Thunder did. I mean, Will Dawkins, he comes from the Sam Prey tree, and we are seeing every single episode.
We’re keeping we’re seeing a similar mold and a similar blueprint here. So, I just I don’t understand how you could be against what’s going on here in Washington. Will Dawkins in this front office has done the thing that needed to happen for so long here in DC. They needed to rebuild. They needed to find an identity. And the youth movement is the identity of this team. And I think it’s going to pay off long term. I mean, I’m just I I can’t believe how many former first round picks are on the team. And these aren’t hasbins that are former first round picks. Like these are legit legit prospects, high upside players. This is crazy.
And this Wizards team just got more fun. I mean, before it’s so much young talent. This is going to be they’re not going to be winning a lot, but this is going to be a young team to watch. But at a guy like Kim Whitmore, who’s just so freaking athletic, can play the point forward. And there’s so much talent on this roster. I legit can’t emphasize it enough. We haven’t even seen Dylan Jones play. AJ Johnson is scratching the surface. Trey Johnson potentially could be a top three rook of the year finalist. So I know so is Ben or Ben is Cam allowed to play in today’s summer league or is this too much of a turnaround?
I Well, it’s it’s too early to even tell for that. Like I just I was in the car, the news broke, I came right back home and I’m recording this. Like I haven’t even sat down to really look at anything other than the details of the trade and a couple other tidbits. Uh, locked on Law brings up a good point here that they have 16 players on the roster, so another move is coming. Is that Cory Kissert? Do we see him get I mean, do you just trade him right now for a second round pick if you can get it? Like, honestly, I think I would do it.
Yeah,
because what else what else are you going to add at this point? I He’s not worth a first. Obviously, if you’re able to get a second round pick for Cory Kisspert, uh, you know, I’m all in for moving him by any means necessary. He doesn’t have a role in this team anymore. He just doesn’t. He can’t run with these young guys. It’s not going to make sense.
Yep. Yep. We’ll talk about more. Uh, this is locked on Wizards. [Music] Cory Kisser, as much as I hate to admit, I was a big fan of him coming out of Gonzaga, I just think the emergence of Keshan George last year, the size that Georgia offers, the versatility is a big reason why he’s one foot out of the door. And again, he wasn’t a Will Dawkins draft pick. So, you you say that at most we can get a second for him, nothing more than that, Ben? I don’t see him as being worth more than that at all. I I mean, the dream scenario that people had come up with with uh you know, trading for Jonathan Kamingo when that was being swirled around over the last couple days, was there even any validity to that? I don’t know. The Athletic reports it so obviously it’s credible, but their name was kind of just tied in with a bunch of other teams and some other sources said that the Wizards weren’t really that interested in it. So, I mean, you’re on the phone if you’re the Wizards. Like of course you’re on the phone if you hear that Jonathan Kaminga might be available. That’s a super young talented player. Like he instantly would have become one of the best young players on this team out of the group they have right now. Uh but with that being said, the Wizards make a very lowrisk and potentially high reward move here by getting Cam Whitmore on the roster. And the and the way he slots in it it’s just like you know he’ll be interchange playing either the four or the three. Then you have Sar probably playing the five. And then we’ll see how Tristan Vuchic gets uh his name thrown into the mix here if they’re able to utilize him as well because he’s someone that we want to see a lot more of this year. There’s a lot of options for what the Wizards can do and they also can kind of manage the way they utilize this some of this young talent here. Maybe a guy like Will Riley kind of has his first NBA season shape up to be like his first year playing college basketball where he kind of just saw more and more time as the season went on. he was coming off the bench and eventually was inserted into that starting role as the season went on. Uh we might see that with a guy like we might see that out of Riley here at the pro level as like he just learns the game getting you know a few minutes at a time every single night until he kind of meshes and and molds his game into what they feel is the best for him at this level. But that’s what that’s like why it’s important that you get guys with super high upside and people that have potential to be great scorers in this league. And the way they have put themselves on this timeline, they’re in a position where they they don’t they don’t have to put pressure on anyone right now. You don’t have to take this team and say you guys got to win the NBA finals this year. That’s it. Like if you don’t go out there and win it, you’ll never win. The Wizards are not even close to being in that position still. But maybe they get a little bit closer today with this move in Whitmore. They’re just trying to shrink down the timeline a little bit and then hopefully a year or two down the road when the team is ready in a position to compete if the Eastern Conference is maybe still down. I guess those the injuries won’t be as much of a factor at that point, but you don’t know what the East is going to look like a year from now. Anything can happen. uh the Wizards can find themselves in a position where everyone is starting to enter their prime, starting to play some of their best basketball at a young age and say, I mean, now like legitimately legitimately we could go out there and win something. We could go out in free agency or in the trade market and get somebody else we feel would make this team push them over the edge, make them a championship contender. The possibilities are endless from for what the Wizards can do going forward from here. They’ve put themselves in a position where they’re going to have a ton of options going forward and that’s the best part of the entire thing. And on top of that, you also have the pick swaps from Phoenix and Phoenix is falling apart day by day. So, this isn’t it’s just it it’s surreal as a Wizards fan to see a competent front office doing their job because the bar was set so low after Shepard and Grumfeld. Even that bar was was some it was low as well. But this is this is great. Getting a guy in Camp Whitmore legit makes this team much younger. low risk, high reward type of move. And we love to see those second round picks. There’s a reason why they had so many of the Modelans collected a lot of them. So my question, Ben, is and this is very very early, but what do you see the potential starting five going into this season?
Oh, let’s I mean, let’s let’s really let’s think here for a second. So Bob Carrington is your point guard. CJ McCullum though, does he start on this team? because I just find it hard to imagine that CJ McCullum comes off the bench. Uh, you know, he’s a 33-year-old dude, a great veteran who is is a great dude to have on the floor a lot. I know he’s going to get his minutes and play alongside a lot of the young kids, but do you make the case where like Trey Johnson should just instantly be in the starting lineup? like he’s a guy you you put him in there right away. Get him his touches and and let him uh get his shot get like just let him start developing right away. I don’t know what what’s going to happen with McCullum. I think he’s a guy that’s definitely going to be on the team. The trades are all official as of tomorrow actually. So we’re going to see who gets announced on the team or what happens with that. Um at the three Kula Bali I think Bal is a guy that they’re still waiting to see that year three jump. something that you and I have talked so much about this off seasonason. Uh you’re gonna see him slid in at the three, getting his opportunity here uh in a really big season for him. And then the four, do you go Whitmore? I think you do over Keshan George, even though George is a guy that just showed me so much promise over the last season. Like Keshan George is really a dude. Like that guy can stroke it from anywhere on the floor. He’s a lob threat and he’s also an insane defender. like he has so much value on the floor that I I just I can’t make up my mind. I just feel like you trade for Cam Whitmore though. You don’t give up a lot to get him, but he you’d feel like he’s a guy the Wizards are going to be high on. He has so much potential in this league. And then you have Sar will be the big. But I mean, look at this conversation we’re having. Like like we can’t even figure out who’s going to start on this team right now. It’s ridiculous.
It’s a great comment right here by Excellent Java. Thank you for tuning in to lock on. This is crazy. We have too much talent, meaning some guys are going to be stunted. And it’s just insane to even think about a starting five because there’s so much talent on this team. And you brought up Keshan George, him and Ken Whitmore battling for me. Tristan Buchvich is a guy who I think when given minutes, he can go out there and produce. Justin Champany, a guy that we haven’t even talked about. We forgot his name. He after given that contract, he’s been playing really really well that past this past season. So, a lot on the table for the Wizards, a lot to coach for co coach Brian Kee to figure out. But will Dawkins giving everyone in DC some hope? This is just another great move by him. And do you think this is this is just one of many moves or do you think this is enough and we’ll keep the vets in Alen McCullum and whatnot?
Uh we might see movement with that. I think Rashan Holmes is someone that we’re still waiting to see what happens with him because I know he has $250,000 guaranteed right now and you know he’s on expiring deal this year. So theoretically, you could see him get moved, but he also could be a guy that the Wizards want to keep around as a uh center depth piece off the bench to play here in Washington. He was, you know, starting games at the end of end of the year for this team. Um so that’s going to be interesting development to follow as well. But I think there might be more moves in coming. Like obviously we’re going to see a corresponding move because there’s 16 players on the team right now. Um that’s what’s next, I guess. I mean, I’m just so stoked. I’m fired up right now to see how much young talent is on this team. This season is going to be so much fun. Like, we’re not even expected to win games, but it’s going to be mad fun to watch these dudes mesh and see what Brian Keefe has in store for them because there’s going to be so many minutes to go around. How do they, you know, organize it? How do they distribute these minutes? It’s going to be crazy to watch it all unfold. And we’ll see summer league a week from now. Man, it’s a it’s a good time to be a Wizards fan. Buy stalking us now.
Yeah. Like, get it right now. Everyone trying to write us off and say that we suck. No one will ever play for the Wizards and we’re just a trash organization. Our front office is legit, people. Like,
we are doing things that we have not seen from the Wizards front office ever before, at least in our young lives. Like, this is
this is a completely new era of Washington basketball, and it continues to get even more exciting and interesting. One last question, Ben, because I was thinking about this during when the trade went down. Do you think with the addition of Will Riley in the draft and now trading for Ken Whimmore, this puts any pressure on Bal Kubali having that year three jump? I think there was all there was pressure on him from the start and Bal is a fantastic player. I love Bal Koulali. I think he has the potential to be one of the most athletic freaks and super talented offensive players in this league. And I mean, his defense alone, he’s already a top NBA level perimeter defender. He’s unbelievable. He is a really, really good player and he will be a great player in this league for a long time no matter where he is. But with this season coming up, he’s extension eligible next summer. So yeah, there is absolutely pressure on Koulabali to, you know, expand his game, be more of a threat from the outside, develop more consistency handling the ball as well. This is a huge year for uh Bal. I mean, he’s going to have to show to this front office why they chose him with their first draft pick two years ago. He’s going to have to prove that he is worthy of an extension here in Washington. And I’m hopeful and I believe he can do it. They’re putting the pressure on him and that’s that’s okay. He’s got to be healthy though. He really needs to be healthy. We need to see him play in 70 to 80 games this year. Like he has not been able to finish a year with this. like he’s been injured at the end of the year for the first two years of his career and that’s something that’s concerning. I know last year maybe part of the tank job him kind of just being shut down for the rest of the year, but like he needs to stay healthy. That’s going to be the biggest thing for him. Yep. Yep. And yep, Benjamin Sherbet, ladies and gentlemen, the pink man who we all can agree with. Wizards are on right trajectory. It’s great time to be a Wizards fan right now. Like you mentioned, buy that stock. That’s pretty much it on today’s emergency live stream. Thanks for making lock on Wizards your first listen today. For your second listen, find the locked on NBA podcast where this where there’s no offseason. Doug, Matt, and Hayes keeps you up to date on contract negotiations, rumors, and everything you need to be the most informed NBA fan. Find Locked on NBA on YouTube, wherever you listen to podcast, part of the lockdown podcast network. Your team every day. 237 people right now in the chat. Thank you guys. Make sure you are like, comment, subscribe to Lockdown Wizards channel. Anything else you want to say, Ben?
Hey, shout out to everyone who joined the stream. Wizards Nation, stand up right now. Be loud and proud that you’re a Wizards fan because I got a lot of friends who are not Wizards fans that text me said, “Damn, that’s a W move right there.” Like, I I could never have thought the Wizards would trade for Cam Whitmore. And for the value you get, Matt, that’s incredible. Stand up, Wizards Nation. We We coming.
Hop on that wagon before it’s too late, man. Thank you guys for watching. I’m Abdullah. That is Ben Strober. This is Locked on Wizards signing out. H the Wizards.

On today’s EMERGENCY livestream, Abdullah and Ben discuss the BLOCKBUSTER trade as Cam Whitmore is heading to DC. Will Dawkins is still cooking, and the duo is ready to break it all down.

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