Washington Wizards: 5 Best Acquisitions in Franchise History

Outside of a four-year aberration during the last 10 years, both fans and non-fans of the Washington Wizards will agree that the team has been downright bad and, at times, even laughable.

In spite of this, the team has been in existence for 50 years and in the midst of a lockout with no end in sight, its tradition-rich history provides fans with the perfect opportunity to reflect on the positive decisions made by the organization in the past.

5: Bullets Draft Gus Johnson in 1963

The Baltimore Bullets selected 6'6" small forward Gus Johnson with the 10th pick in the second round of the 1963 NBA draft.

Nicknamed "Honeycomb" in college because his game was so sweet, his impact on the team has recently been likened to that of LeBron James due to his unique combination of size, speed, athleticism and court vision. Ironically, Johnson also hailed from James' hometown of Akron, Ohio.

Considered one of the best two-way players of his era, Johnson would prove to be one the most important components in changing the culture of an expansion franchise from one that spent the better part of the 1960s struggling into one that became a perennial playoff team with championship aspirations.

They would not record their first winning season until 1968 and Johnson was a major factor in the turnaround, chipping in 17.9 points and 11.6 rebounds per game that year.

Johnson's number 25 was retired by the franchise and 37 years after his retirement, he was inducted in to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2010.

4: Wizards Draft Kwame Brown 1st Overall in 2001

For those of you who didn't exit the browser after reading the title of this slide, there is a perfectly good explanation for Kwame's presence on this list.

In 2001, the Wizards had recently hired Michael Jordan and ceded a large portion of the franchise's personnel control to him.  His first opportunity to make an impact came in the form of the first-overall draft pick that year.

Hindsight is always 20/20 and it is now widely agreed upon in NBA circles that Jordan is one of the worst judges of talent in the league, but unfortunately it was impossible to know this when he was first hired by the Wizards.

Enter Kwame Brown. His role in the history of this franchise is that of a savior (sort of). Thanks to Kwame's temper tantrums and occasional tantalizing glimpses of potential, Jordan's tenure in DC was kept to a minimum.  

Jordan and Brown just were not suited to work together at this time and thankfully owner Abe Pollin realized this and sided with the players rather than Jordan. Who knows how much more damage he would have done to the franchise were he allowed to maintain the reins any longer.

3: Bullets Trade for Elvin Hayes in 1972

One of the best players in NBA history, center Elvin Hayes was acquired via trade after the conclusion of the 1971-1972 season.

Over the course of nine seasons in a Bullets uniform, he teamed with power forward Wes Unseld to form one of the most elite forward-center tandems that the NBA has ever seen.

Armed with a nearly unstoppable turnaround jump shot, Hayes, known as "The Big E," anchored the team during the franchise's best years.  During the Bullets championship season in 1978, Hayes averaged 19.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and two blocks per game.

A member of the NBA's 50th anniversary team and a 12-time All-Star, Hayes was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1990. He finished his career fifth all time in games played (1,303), third in minutes played (50,000), eighth in scoring (27,313) and fourth in rebounding (16,279).

2: Bullets Draft Wes Unseld 2nd Overall in 1968

The second overall pick in 1968, Wes Unseld's legendary outlet passes would ignite the Bullets' fastbreaks for 13 years.  

Prior to his arrival, the team finished in last place in the Eastern Division, winning just 36 games. His first year in the league, their record improved by 19 games and they won the division.

At the heart of this worst-to-first turnaround was Unseld. He averaged 18.2 rebounds as a rookie and became only the second player to date to be named Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the same season, with the first being Wilt Chamberlain.  

He retired in 1981 as the 10th-leading rebounder in NBA history with 13,769 rebounds. He is also the Wizards' career leader in assists, games played and minutes played. Seven years later he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame and he was also a member of the league's 50th anniversary team.

1: Abe Pollin Purchases Baltimore Bullets from David Trager

This is the only slide which is not about a player, but it's the most important nonetheless.  On October 24, 1964, a group of investors led by Abe Pollin purchased the struggling Bullets franchise from David Trager for a then-record $1.1 million.

Love him or hate him, Abe Pollin is directly responsible for the brightest moments in the history of the franchise.  If he hadn't purchased the team in 1964, there would have been no Baltimore Bullets or Washington Wizards.

Pollin privately financed the construction of the Verizon Center and he helped to bring economic stability to an area that had previously been one of the most neglected in D.C.

Most recently, it was Pollin who, in the wake of firing Michael Jordan, hired coach Eddie Jordan on a handshake in 2003, a sign of his commitment to old-school ethics. That same summer he also took a risk by signing a young Gilbert Arenas and giving him the keys to the franchise.

Both of these decisions paid dividends for him in the form of four consecutive trips to the postseason beginning in 2005.