The Washington Wizards have been one of the most active franchises in the young NBA offseason.
The team has been involved in two blockbuster trades over the past week.
Moreover, they landed an up-and-coming French player that is expected to help them compete in the future.
Bilal Coulibaly was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the No. 7 overall pick and was immediately traded to the Washington Wizards, who sent Jarace Walker to Indiana.
The Frenchman is ready to start his NBA career and already selected his number, wearing No. 0 during his stint with the Wizards, per Ava Wallace, via NBA Central.
Bilal Coulibaly is the first wizards player to wear 0 since Gilbert Arenas 👀
(h/t @avarwallace) pic.twitter.com/JirUfQDwPM
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 24, 2023
Coulibaly is one of the most intriguing players of the draft, even drawing attention from the San Antonio Spurs, who reportedly wanted to pair him with Victor Wembanyama again.
In 27 games last season with the Metropolitans, he averaged 5.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, shooting 53.2 FG% from the field.
Coulibaly will wear the No. 0 jersey on the Wizards for the first time since Gilbert Arenas, meaning he’ll have big shoes to fill.
The Wizards are entering a new era after several years of failed attempts to succeed.
Last Sunday, they traded Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns.
On Thursday, they exchanged Chris Paul for Jordan Poole and draft picks with the Golden State Warriors.
They have a young and interesting squad, but it remains to be seen how this team pans out.
With Poole leading the way, Coulibaly and co. can make some noise in the league in the future.
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