This isn't exactly the courtroom scene in "A Few Good Men," but there is a question that the firing of Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard does bring to the surface: Who was behind the decision to offer and sign Bradley Beal to a supermax contract last summer?
"The question is, particularly in NBA circles is, how much of the decision to re-sign Bradley Beal and offer him the no-trade clause was on Tommy Sheppard? How much was Ted Leonsis?"The Athletic's Josh Robbins told Team 980 on Thursday. "Was this initiated by Ted Leonsis? By Tommy Sheppard? I'm not sure we're ever going to know what the answer is. But if we take the approach that this was strongly suggested by Ted Leoniss than that has to figure into his calculus of whether to change the team president and GM because that sets the tone for everything."
Overall, Robbins "thought there was a strong chance they were gonna make that change" and the rumors around Sheppard losing his job had been bouncing around league circles for two years.
But one thing Robbins found to be "fascinating" and "telling" is that in Leonsis' statement announcing the firing, he said the search would be for "an executive from outside the organization."
Now, how much does it matter that head coach Wes Unseld Jr. will be retained for a third season?
"The person who comes in will be scanning Wes Unseld Jr. and Wes' staff with fresh eyes and it really will be an audition year for Wes Unseld Jr. depending on who they bring in," Robbins told Team 980. "If it's [Minnesota Timberwolves president] Tim Connelly then there's a strong, strong familiarity there. And there's a strong comfort. If it's not Tim Connelly, then there's certainly the potential for an uneasy season ahead for Wes Unseld Jr."
Another name that people around the NBA expect the Wizards to contact for the job, in addition to Connelly, is the Toronto Raptors' Masai Ujiri, both of whom Leonsis reportedly pursued in 2019 after the firing of Ernie Grunfeld while Sheppard was the team's interim GM.
In any event, Robbins does not see the Wizards hiring a person who would be a joint coach and president of basketball operations.
The question Robbins has is two-fold: 1) Will the person who takes charge want to tear down the roster and play for the lottery and 2) will Leonsis sanction that strategy?
One benefit for the Wizards is that they are currently the only NBA team looking for a president of basketball operations at this time. It may not be the best job opening, but it is currently the only game in town.
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