The Washington Wizards surprised the whole NBA world after trading with the Indiana Pacers to move up one spot and draft Bilal Coulibaly at no. 7 in the 2023 NBA Draft.

It was certainly a big surprise, especially since it hasn't been too long ago when Coulibaly was considered a second-round prospect. In the latest mock draft from Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, it had Coulibaly going to the Oklahoma City Thunder at no. 12.

The Wizards had the eighth pick in the draft, so it's worth wondering why they felt the need to trade up to get a guy whom many doesn't see going within the Top 10. Washington sent two future second-round picks (a 2028 second-round pick via Phoenix and their own 2028 second-rounder) in order to acquire the pick and Coulibaly, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Bilal Coulibaly is Victor Wembanyama's teammate on the Metropolitans 92, and Wemby had high praises for him in the buildup to the draft. Early this June, Wemby endorsed Coulibaly and highlighted that he was a Top 5 prospect.

“By now, everyone knows he deserves to be top 10. But not enough realize he deserves to be top 5,” Wembanyama wrote along with some highlights of his fellow Frenchman with Mets 92.

It remains to be seen what the Wizards plan to do with Coulibaly, though he is projected to be a long-term project. That should fit well with the team's timeline, especially as they start their rebuild following the Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis trades.

Coulibaly averaged 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 27 games with the Mets 92. He did impress during the team's run to the final of the French league, putting up 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting to help the team seal their ticket to the championship game.