Jun. 29—The Washington Wizards acquired the draft rights to former Illinois wing Will Riley on Wednesday after a draft night deal with the Utah Jazz included a pick swap. The Wizards technically drafted Walter Clayton Jr. with the No. 18 overall pick, with the Jazz returning the favor by selecting Riley at No. 21. Then the deal was made official, and the right guard wound up with the correct organization.

“Will’s someone when he first came in we knew he kind of fit our profile,” Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said. “We spent a lot of time on the grassroots watching and seeing who he is as a player there. He was different than what he was at Illinois. Toward the end of the season, when they had some injuries, they put the ball in his hands a little bit and you could see who he was when he was playing with UPlay and back in Canada.

“We knew the type of player he was. He was someone we were looking for. It’s our job to be as strategic as possible and get the most value we can for the future, but also try to make sure we get players that we like. That deal presented itself, and it was probably the best deal at the time and we felt very comfortable with.”

Riley joins a Wizards team that isn’t exactly lacking for options on the wing. Washington has veterans like Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and the newly-acquired CJ McCollum. Then there’s younger players like Corey Kispert, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Justin Champagnie.

How Riley will fit is to be determined, but Dawkins said the Wizards like the former Illinois standout’s size, versatility and high processing speed. And perhaps his potential most of all.

“He’s one of those guys who works,” Dawkins said. “He had a massive growth spurt, and you just look at his face and his body and the way he’s built and he’s still growing. He’s somebody we feel confident is going to come in the gym and push people and develop on his own time. He has ball skills. He can make plays. He’s probably a better defender than people give him credit for, but we’re going to test that out right away at Summer League and make him guard.”