Washington Wizards

The Wizards on Thursday fired "a number of staff members" while retaining interim head coach Brian Keefe and assistant coach David Vanterpool, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.

Keefe will now be a candidate to hold the head coaching position on a permanent basis, Wojnarowski reported.

Both Keefe and Vanterpool began the 2023-24 season as assistant coaches.

The Wizards promoted Keefe to interim head coach in January, after which the team finished the season 8-31.

The rebuilding Wizards missed the playoffs for a third straight year after earning a franchise history-low 15 total wins this season.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer said earlier this month that Keefe was a "strong" candidate to become the Wizards' full-time coach.

Josh Robbins reported Tuesday for The Athletic that the Wizards will take "the next week or so" to plan out their search process before reaching out to other teams.

Despite the teams' overall struggles, which were exacerbated by a spate of late-season injuries, the Wizards' front office may have taken note of the way key players saw improvements under Keefe's tenure.

One example is forward Deni Avdija, who earned more minutes and rebounding opportunities in the latter half of the season. He ended the campaign having averaged a career-high 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Another is Jordan Poole, whose production spiked during a February stretch as a bench player under Keefe's direction.

Keefe has worked as an NBA assistant coach since 2007 with the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.

Although Keefe's interim position marked the first head coaching role of his NBA career, it isn't the first time he's been considered for the position. Keefe interviewed with the Detroit Pistons for their then-vacant head coaching position last offseason, according to Wojnarowski.

Vanterpool could be considered for the position as well, once the Wizards formally begin their search. Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard in 2021 advocated for Vanterpool to be promoted to head coach during his eight-season tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Brian Keefe, who became the Washington Wizards' interim head coach in January, "is considered to hold a strong candidacy for the full-time position," per league sources to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

The Wizards will hold a coaching search at the end of this season to find a full-time leader after former head coach Wes Unseld Jr. was elevated to a front-office role, per Fischer.

Washington is in the midst of a rebuild after parting ways with Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis last offseason. The Wizards have struggled mightily this year, sitting second-last in the Eastern Conference with a 15-62 record.

The 47-year-old Keefe played college ball at UC Irvine and UNLV in the 1990s before beginning his coaching career at South Florida in 2000. He then worked at Bryant from 2001-2005 before jumping to the NBA as a video coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs.

In 2007, Keefe began his career as an assistant coach, first with the Seattle SuperSonics. He stayed with the team through its move to Oklahoma City and remained with the organization until 2015, when he left for the New York Knicks. Keefe made stops with the Los Angeles Lakers, Thunder again, Brooklyn Nets and Wizards, where he found himself in 2023.

The Wizards have shown some improvement under Keefe. Before the coaching change, Washington went 7-36. Now the team has gone 8-26 with Keefe in charge. He's received some good reviews from fans for his work.

It's far from a foregone conclusion that Keefe will get the job, but he's clearly a strong candidate to get the position at this point.

Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija left Wednesday's 125-120 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and was ruled out due to a migraine.

Avdija wasn't on the floor when the fourth quarter opened. With 3:12 left in the second, he was inadvertently elbowed by Lakers star LeBron James while James was driving into the paint. The four-time MVP was assessed a flagrant-1 foul.

Avdija stayed in the game and hit two free throws. He finished with seven points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in his 22 minutes on the floor.

The 23-year-old is in the midst of his best season. Entering Wednesday, he was setting career highs across the board with 14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. His field-goal percentage (50.8) and three-point percentage (37.9) are on pace to be personal bests as well.

In an interview broadcast before the game, Avdija said a different mental approach has helped fuel his improvement:

His general development has provided a bright spot amid a campaign that's set to be the worst in franchise history. Amid the rebuild, the 2020 first-round pick looks like he can be a long-term part of the roster.

Avdija's availability moving forward is unclear. Washington is back in action Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers with five games left on the schedule.

The Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals are set to remain in Washington D.C. instead of relocating to Virginia.

Ted Leonsis, the majority owner of both franchises, and D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser are finalizing a deal that, if approved, would keep both the Wizards and Capitals in the city until 2050, per Jonathan O'Connell, Teo Armus, Gregory S. Schneider and Michael Brice Saddler of the Washington Post.

Under terms of the agreement, the city would spend $515 million over three years to make upgrades to Capital One Arena, per the Washington Post. Leonsis would then sign a new lease to keep both teams in D.C. for the next 25 years.

The Washington Post added of the deal:

The agreement includes other provisions that address some of Leonsis's concerns about the state of downtown and allow his company, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, to additionally expand in the city.

Among the provisions to which the two sides have tentatively agreed, D.C. would allow Leonsis to take over management of the Mystics home facility in Southeast D.C., utilize parking at some District-owned buildings for Monumental employees, keep a minimum number of police officers downtown and plan for a new future downtown practice facility for the Wizards.

The news comes after the previous plans to move were changed earlier in the day.

The city of Alexandria said Wednesday that talks to move both the NBA and NHL franchises from Washington, D.C., to Virginia had "ended" and that the proposal to create a new arena for the teams "will not move forward," per Sarah Rankin and Matthew Barakat of the Associated Press.

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott was told by Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson that Leonsis was no longer considering relocation from Washington, D.C., per the Associated Press.

"We negotiated a framework for this opportunity in good faith and participated in the process in Richmond in a way that preserved our integrity. We trusted this process and are disappointed in what occurred between the Governor and General Assembly," the city of Alexandria said in a statement.

Leonsis announced in December plans to build a new arena at Potomac Yard in Alexandria as part of a $2 billion mixed-use development project with retail space, hotels and a music venue/convention center.

The announcement came after Leonsis asked D.C. for $600 million of public funding for a major renovation project at Capital One Arena that included moving more seats closer to the court/ice, a food court and a new entrance.

Bowser in December offered up $500 million over three years for upgrades to the arena and to keep both franchises in the city. However, Leonsis and Bowser were initially unable to come to terms on an agreement and Leonsis quickly announced plans to move both teams to Virginia.

Leonsis' Monumental Sports and Entertainment has a lease at Capital One Arena through 2047 and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb told the company last week it has an obligation to remain at the arena through the end of that lease.

The Wizards and Capitals have played at the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., since December 1997.

Moving the franchises to Virginia would have been devastating for downtown D.C. as Capital One Arena hosts 84 games per year between both teams and brings in thousands of fans to the surrounding area businesses.

After a deal for a new $2 billion arena in Virginia stalled, Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis reportedly is eyeing another state as a potential home for the two franchises.

Per Andy Kostka and Pamela Wood of the Baltimore Banner, an anonymous source said that "Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Leonsis discussed the idea of bringing the NBA and NHL teams to Maryland after Virginia lawmakers left out plans for a new Wizards and Capitals arena from the state budget this month."

Kostka and Wood added that "it's not likely" that Maryland "could become an option for the sports and entertainment district [Leonsis] envisions." Representatives for Moore declined to comment, and the source "requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter."

Another option available to Leonsis would be to reopen negotiations with Washington, D.C., whose "offer of $500 million for renovations to an existing arena he already spurned." A source told Kostka and Wood that Leonsis "remains focused on working with Virginia to build at the Potomac Yard site in Alexandria for the time being," but the exploration of a site in Maryland could at least provide leverage in negotiations with D.C. and Virginia.

Leonsis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced plans in December for a 12-acre mixed-use complex that would be home to the Wizards and Capitals.

However, Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas said last month that proposed legislation for the $2 billion arena was "not ready for prime time" and would not receive a hearing in the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee, of which she is the chair. That declaration effectively killed the legislation in the Senate.

The Wizards and Capitals currently play at Capital One Arena, which opened in 1997. While the arena could still undergo refurbishment under the $500 million proposal by D.C., it's clear that Leonsis' preference is to start anew.

Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole hasn't been a stranger to a heavy amount of criticism on social media. However, as noted in an interview with Andscape's Martenzie Johnson, Poole ignores all the noise and offers this perspective.

"We're just in an era where we're attracted to the negativity," Poole said.

As Johnson noted, Poole has particularly been the ire of critics this year as he finishes out a disappointing season on a last-place Washington Wizards team.

"But it wasn't just Poole's poor play and the team's underwhelming output. Poole almost immediately became the punchline of jokes on social media, from both everyday users and corporate accounts. There's making fun of someone for doing something silly, but then there's the jokes made about Poole. It seems that social media users, particularly on X, formerly known as Twitter, have found a social currency in mentioning Poole's name."

Poole also carries himself with a tremendous amount of confidence on the court, which perhaps draws more attention to him than most. Poole told Johnson he believes the attacks are in response to that confidence and his style of play.

"The confidence thing has always stood out and been a staple just because not everybody's a fan of that, just because not everyone has confidence," he said. "Those who don't have confidence are probably the ones who are hating."

As for that style of play, Poole isn't afraid to take shots from anywhere on the court. He isn't afraid to take great risks either. Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn't.

Poole is only a few years removed from being a key cog on the 2021-22 Golden State Warriors championship team.

The criticism wasn't as loud then as he excelled for the Dubs. It's perhaps now more pronounced as he plays in Washington, but ultimately, Poole doesn't seem concerned about the noise. Instead, as he noted to Washington, he's more focused on controlling what he can control and being unapologetically himself.

For the first time this season, shooting guard Jordan Poole came off the bench for the Washington Wizards as the team took on the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

Understandably, the fifth-year player wasn't happy about the move but said he's looking to still contribute despite not being in the starting lineup, per the Washington Post's Ava Wallace.

"If there's any common sense, with the situation, you should know how I feel," Poole said. "But I'm just going to come out, do what I can do to help the team, keep it moving."

Despite the move, Poole's minutes didn't see much of a hit. He still played 30 minutes and had 18 points on a shaky 4-of-17 shooting from the field.

Interim head coach Brian Keefe's decision to move Poole to the bench comes amid a rough month for the first-year Wizard. Poole is averaging 10.3 points, 5.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game in February, shooting 29.9 percent from the field and 25.5 percent from deep.

Since his trade to Washington this past offseason, Poole has shown flashes of the player he was for the Golden State Warriors but has been much more inconsistent. He's averaging 15.6 points per game, which is his lowest mark since his second year in the league.

Keefe, who took over for Wes Unseld Jr. in January after the head coach moved to a front office role, is likely testing different lineups to see what works best for his team moving forward. The Wizards are out of playoff contention, sitting in 14th place in the Eastern Conference at 9-46, so the rest of the season is about continuing the rebuild.

When Washington traded for Poole this offseason, it was likely looking for a young leader alongside Kyle Kuzma. Poole can still be that for the Wizards, but for now he'll need to embrace a role coming off the bench.

Washington Wizards interim head coach Brian Keefe told reporters that Jordan Poole was being moved to the bench ahead of Thursday evening's matchup with the Denver Nuggets.

Keefe noted the move was about "helping the group improve as a whole" and that Poole operated at his best with the ball in his hands, running the offense.

"It's actually a credit to Jordan. He's had one of our highest net ratings since I've taken over and I want to see more of that," he added.

Poole, 24, has started all 52 games he's appeared in this season, sharing the backcourt with point guard Tyus Jones. That duo has not fared well, as the Wizards are outscored by 9.1 points per 100 possessions while they share the court, per NBA.com.

Granted, Poole has a minus-10.6 net rating on the year, so it's been a struggle for the team in general during his minutes. And it's never good when you're named the Shaqtin' A Fool midseason MVP:

To be fair, it's been a struggle for the 9-45 Wizards in general. Most of the league's cellar-dwelling teams at least have the hope of developing bright young talents. These Wizards are in the very early stages of that rebuild and do have some legitimately solid veterans in Poole, Jones and Kyle Kuzma.

So it will be fascinating to see how Poole—who is averaging 15.6 points and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 40 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three on the season—responds to the new role.

It won't be an unfamiliar one. Poole regularly headlined the second unit for the Golden State Warriors when the team was at full strength during his four seasons in the Bay Area. Coming off the bench behind players like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson is far different than potentially sitting in favor of rookie Bilal Coulibaly or third-year wing Corey Kispert, however.

For the Wizards, the move makes sense. It will give them a longer look at how a young, promising player fits with the starting lineup while potentially granting Poole more freedom to run the offense on the second unit.

Still, it's never a great sign when you have to move the guy in the first season of a four-year, $128 million deal to the bench. At the moment, that's looking like a pretty bad contract the Wizards are going to be stuck with for its duration.

Jordan Poole's first season with the Washington Wizards isn't going great for either side, but the team is especially in a bad spot because of how much money he's still owed.

Appearing on 95.7 The Game's Willard and Dibs show, ESPN's Bobby Marks said "a lot of teams" have said Poole's contract is "one of the worst deals in the NBA right now."

Poole is in the first season of a four-year, $128 million that was signed in October 2022.

If you want to be charitable to the Wizards, they weren't the organization that gave Poole the contract. He signed it while still playing for the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to Washington in July as part of the deal for Chris Paul.

The Wizards made a bet on a player who as recently as the 2021-22 season was a key part of Golden State's victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. His drop-off last season could be attributed in part to everything that happened in the aftermath of Draymond Green punching the 24-year-old during a team practice in October 2022.

Instead, it's looking increasingly likely that the 2021-22 campaign was the high point of Poole's career. He's shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three-point range in 52 starts this season. Those are his lowest totals in both categories since he was a rookie in 2019-20.

Poole has also been at the center of Washington's defense having the fourth-worst rating in the NBA this season.

The Wizards' 9-45 record is the second-worst in the league, just one game ahead of the Detroit Pistons (8-46). They still owe Poole $95.5 million over the next three years after this season.

Kyle Kuzma is focusing on more than just scoring this season.

"I'm building great habits," the Washington Wizards forward told NBA insider Marc Stein. "It's not about scoring. It's about the other things. Trying to score 25, 30 points a night on a bad team doesn't really move me. It's all about growth, defensive strides, helping other guys get better on the team and just improving my court presence."

Kuzma has been under the spotlight since he recently told Josh Robbins of The Athletic he rejected the opportunity to go to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the trade deadline.

While the 28-year-old does not have a no-trade clause in his contract, Wizards president Michael Winger apparently gave him the choice about whether he would be moved.

"There was a point in time, Dallas, they definitely did want me," Kuzma said. "Winger presented me with what the trade was and obviously didn't want to trade me and kind of left the decision up to me a little bit and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to stay and continue to build something. And that was kind of the end of it."

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on Wednesday's episode of The Hoop Collective (21:40 mark) that his "understanding" is Dallas was going to offer two first-round picks for Kuzma.

Such a move would have meant the forward went from a Wizards team that is 9-44 to a Mavericks team that is 31-23 and in playoff contention in the Western Conference. Many players surely would have jumped at such an opportunity, but he told Robbins he didn't believe his timeline matched up with the one in Dallas.

"In my career, I won a championship," Kuzma said in reference to the 2020 ring he won with the Los Angeles Lakers. "So, I understand that when we play this game of basketball it's not about contending for a playoff spot. It's about contending for an NBA championship. There's only like three or four contenders—true contenders. I just felt like our timelines didn't line up."

He remained a part of what figures to be a long rebuilding project in Washington after the franchise moved on from Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis, among others.

Kuzma is under contract through the 2026-27 campaign after signing an extension and is averaging 21.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from deep this season.

To hear him tell it, those scoring numbers could be better if that was where he focused his attention. However, he is rounding out his game, which could serve him well if Washington is a contender at some point during his contract.