8:44am: Top assistant Brian Keefe will serve as the Wizards’ interim coach for the rest of the season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). As noted below, the team will conduct a full search for a permanent head coach during the offseason.
7:08am: Wes Unseld Jr. will no longer serve as the head coach of the Wizards, according to the team, which announced in a press release today that Unseld will transition to a front office advisory role.
“After several thoughtful conversations with Wes, we determined together that a change was needed for the benefit of the team,” Wizards president Michael Winger said in a statement. “Wes embodies the characteristics we value in our organization, and his vast basketball experience will be an asset to the front office as we progress toward our long-term goals. We are thankful that he will continue his contributions to our organization and community.”
“I am grateful to have served as head coach of the Washington Wizards,” Unseld said. “I look forward to this new opportunity to work toward our organization’s continued progress.”
According to the Wizards, an interim head coach will be named shortly, with the club launching a “comprehensive” search for a new permanent head coach in the offseason.
The son of former Wizards star Wes Unseld Sr., Wes Jr. was hired as the Wizards’ head coach in 2021 after having served as an assistant in Washington, Golden State, Orlando, and Denver from 2005-21. He led the club to a 35-47 record in each of his first two seasons and was off to a 7-36 start in 2023/24, for an overall record of 77-130 (.372). Washington didn’t make the playoffs or the play-in tournament during his tenure.
The Wizards conducted an overhaul of their front office during the 2023 offseason, dismissing former president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard and hiring Winger and general manager Will Dawkins to run the show. With a retooling of the roster also underway, there was a sense that the new executives may want to bring in their own coach and that Unseld’s days on the Wizards’ bench might be numbered.
After losing at home to Minnesota on Wednesday, the Wizards will host the Jazz in the second end of a back-to-back set on Thursday night, so they’ll name an interim coach at some point today.
Unseld is the second head coach to be replaced this season — and this week. The Bucks parted ways with Adrian Griffin on Tuesday.
Adrian Griffin on the way?
Wouldn’t be a bad idea, he had too much pressure as a first-time HC. And I mean compared to hiring Doc Rivers.. anything would be better.
He deserves another shot.
Washington is a terrible team though so not sure it is a fair one.
Like Mark Jackson he will never get another shot as an NBA head coach. Because of his insecurities he threw his weight around and could not handle the position.
He’ll have to start over in college if he wants to go the head coach route. So in the NBA it’s either TV or assisting the rest of the way for Adrian.
Yeah unfortunate the league blackballed Jackson but I feel Adrian will get another opportune 30-13 2nd in the east with a revamped roster is and he’s a rookie coach at the end of the day he can still learn.
You could be right and this is just my opinion but I think things went so terribly wrong and the incompetence was so obvious that the guy lasted half of a season. Half a season.
Griffin’s methods were so off that his NBA veteran lead assistant quit after just a couple of weeks, and his team quit on him and started losing, 6-5 in January, to force him out.
Good choice. Unseld has some good BBIQ, but as a coach he was out of his depth.
Now this is good news
They are also hiring doc rivers
Sam Cassell… I think that is time for any team to give an opportunity to Sam Cassell as a head coach and I think Sam Cassell will be fit perfectly in Washington, something like Jamahal Mosley in Orlando.
He is on the Celtic staff though, I am not sure anyone has been hired off another staff in season.
Usually interim is already on the staff or the new HC is on the streets like Snyder for ATL and Doc this year.
Smart move by Winger. He probably wants to bring in his own coach and Unseld Jr. hasn’t shown much (he also had bad rosters, though). On the other hand you can’t just come in as the new guy and fire the son of Wes Unseld in Washington. I think that’s a good compromise.
I think Adrian Griffin is the best candidate for new head coach!
Griffin, Stotts, McMillian are probably getting eyed if in season.
I hope they’ll try to lure Kenny Atkinson he did a good job in spite of having mediocre players when he was with the Nets
Time to start over. Kuz and Deni are basically the same player not great defensively ..don’t really shoot great from the outside to be a wing …don’t rebound enough to be a PF. one of them has to go. Another tweener Poole doesn’t know how to get others involved to be a point and can’t shoot to be a SG he HAS to go. I like Jones as a point, Kispert is a great 6th man. Gafford has shown potential as a big man for 4 years but needs to make the jump. The youngster Bilal Coulibaly could be the key when he gets that outside shot. And Bagley was a great pick up (I wonder why teams sour on him). Does 10th overall Johnny Davis bring any value? I think it’s time get heavy into the trade market and see what they have for the future. Trade Poole insert Davis into the starting SG spot which will also give Coulibaly more mins. Trade Kuz insert Bagley as PF …use Deni as more of a small ball PF and let Kispert get more time at SF and that might open up minutes for Coulibaly. I see Bilal Coulibaly as someone that can be and OG Anunoby type of player. Hope the Gafford can finally make that leap as a top C. Them after seeing what the new lineup offers they’ll have all the assets from the Poole and Kuz trades plus their own top 5 pick this year to build a team
That’s just great… must be nice… a bad coach then got promoted! Must be nice to be him.