Hey, Zach Randolph: The Washington Wizards Would Be Happy to Have You

After the Washington Wizards were unfortunate in their quest to land a top three pick in the 2009 NBA draft, General manager Ernie Grunfeld is exploring all of his options in the  hopes of putting the best players on the court when the 2009-10 season begins.

There's a 90 percent chance that Grunfeld will likely trade the pick, and include the expiring contracts of Mike James and Etan Thomas in the equation.

Who would they receive in return?

Washington needs a good banger power forward.  However, they really have no chance of acquiring Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire. Carlos Boozer is opting out of his contract, but Washington does not have the financial parts in place to acquire him.

The next best thing for Washington would be Los Angeles Clippers, power forward Zach Randolph.  Los Angeles is trying to find a team that going to take Randolph, along with his $16,000,000 million dollars he is owed next season.

That's a perfect match for the Washington, because they could send them back Thomas' contract and James' contract. Also, they could throw in Darius Songaila contract and the fifth overall pick.

This way, Washington could acquire a young 27-year old in Randolph who can come off the bench, average a solid 15 points, and most importantly, lead them to the next level.

However, there is another side that comes with Randolph if they deal for him. He is a locker room distraction, off the court he makes bad judgements, and he could be a detriment to the team.

This would hurt a team like Washington, because they have a new head coach in Flip Saunders and they are just looking to win ball games—not to deal with a problem child.

If Washington wants to take Randolph, then Antwan Jamison and Caron Butler—the team leaders—would have to make sure he is doing all the right things and help the team make the playoffs.