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The Washington Wizards have a group of prospects they're pondering picking at No. 6, but they especially like one of them. Although Rutgers star Ace Bailey could be available at that spot, they're big fans of Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, via Wizards insider Troy Haliburton.
“To my understanding, there is no internal connection to the Wizards with Ace's people, and this play is for him to get to [the] Brooklyn [Nets]. Wizards locked in on Fears right now,” he reported on Wednesday.
As for Bailey's “play,” Haliburton referred to the 18-year-old's decision to cancel his pre-draft workout and dinner with the Philadelphia 76ers, which was scheduled for Friday. That doesn't mean Philadelphia won't pick him at No. 3, as he's also rejected all other workout requests, including from the Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and possibly the Nets. He and his team feel comfortable that he'll be selected in the top six regardless, via ESPN.
Whether Brooklyn moves up from No. 8 to snatch Bailey or not won't change the fact that Washington is looking at several other players, with Fears being chief among them. The team held workouts with him, Texas guard Tre Johnson, Duke wing Kon Kneuppel, and Maryland big man Derik Queen, via Haliburton.
However, the Wizards aren't the only team coveting Fears.
“I do think it should be noted here that Fears had a second workout in Utah, and it's looking like the Jazz may like Fears just as much as the Wizards,” Haliburton continued.
The Jazz hold the No. 5 pick, one slot ahead of Washington. Additionally, teams picking behind the Wizards are interested in Fears, via ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel.
“There also seems to be a potential pre-draft war breaking out between the Wizards, [New Orleans] Pelicans, and Nets over Jeremiah Fears, who is widely viewed as the second-best guard in the draft behind Harper,” he reported.
The Pelicans pick at No. 7, so multiple teams are in contention to leapfrog the Wizards.
“While they may hold interest in Bailey, these three teams also have Fears high on their draft boards, sources said,” he continued. “Trading up to the fourth pick with Charlotte would potentially give these organizations a choice between Fears and Bailey, as the Hornets could comfortably move down a few spots and still end up with the player they want.”
Siegel also mentioned that Johnson and Fears are the two players most linked to Washington.
Are the Wizards right to be “locked in” on Fears?
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Jeremiah Fears could fill long-term void for Wizards
Fears is far from a flawless prospect. The 6-foot-3-inch, 180-pound point guard shot just 28.4 percent from deep for the Sooners and had just a 1.2/1 assist-to-turnover ratio (2/1 is optimal, 3/1 is excellent). However, he turned 18 on Oct. 14 and led an average-at-best roster to the NCAA Tournament while playing in an SEC that sent a record 14 teams dancing. His handle and quickness help him get to the rim at ease, and he could be an exceptional slasher in the NBA once he refines his finishing.
jeremiah fears' strength and physicality really pops on tape, he'll bump and bruise bigger and older defenders to create and hold advantages on drives
the film reflects his 51.8 FTr, which ranks 2rd among guards in the 2025 draft, trailing only john tonje pic.twitter.com/UFZqlPekvx
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) June 11, 2025
Fears could take the mantle from Jordan Poole as Washington's playmaker. The latter guard has two years left on his deal, so it would make sense to restart the timeline with the rookie and flip the veteran for assets. That would give the team a young core of Fears, two-time Rising Star Bilal Coulibaly, first-team All-Rookie Alex Sarr, second-team All-Rookie Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and AJ Johnson.
Fears' rim pressure could collapse the defense and help him open up looks outside for a Washington group that set an NBA record this past spring with three rookies hitting 100-plus threes in a season (Carrington, Sarr, George). However, he's not worthy of a “pre-draft war.”
Fears' average size doesn't bode well for his defensive potential at the next level (107.7 defensive rating at Oklahoma, best players were under 100), and he has a long way to go with his shooting efficiency. Staying at No. 6 and getting one of Johnson, Knueppel, Bailey, Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, or Duke big man Khaman Maluach would be more prudent than selling assets to move up for Fears, who could fall to No. 6 anyway. The latter hooper has his strengths, but he's not special compared to these other names.
While Fears may have the best handle, all of them besides Maluach are better shooters, and they're all better defenders with more size. Other than Duke superstar Cooper Flagg and Rutgers standout Dylan Harper, there's no “can't-miss” prospect in this year's draft. The Wizards probably won't get either of them, so they need to avoid selling the farm for the wrong player. Those types of missteps set franchises back years.
