Washington Wizards remove Wes Unseld Jr. as head coach

The Washington Wizards have relieved Wes Unseld Jr.'s duty as the team's head coach and gave him a front-office advisory role, the team announced on Thursday.

"After several thoughtful conversations with Wes, we determined together that a change was needed for the benefit of the team," the team's President of Basketball Operations 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."

Unseld Jr. took over the Wizards in July 2021 on a four-year contract. The team lost 130 of the 207 games under him, failed to reach the playoffs in the previous two seasons and are unlikely to make a difference this season after finishing their 44 games by Thursday with a 7-37 record.

Assistant coach Brian Keefe will fill in the position on an interim basis.

"I am grateful to have served as head coach of the Washington Wizards," Unseld Jr. said. "I look forward to this new opportunity to work toward our organization's continued progress."

Earlier this week, the Wizards completed a trade with the Detroit Pistons by sending Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to the Pistons in exchange for Marvin Bagley III and Isaiah Livers plus two future NBA Draft second-round picks.

The Wizards did the Pistons a favor of freeing up more cap space on their payroll for summer 2024. Their expectations for Bagley III is unlikely very high after watching the performances of Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. The team can be a big seller on the trade market before the deadline on February 8.

Both Kuzma and Daniel Gafford can be improvements for playoff teams that lack strength in the power forward and center positions. As a big-size forward who can shoulder a certain mount of offensive duties off the dribble, belongs to resources in short supply. Gafford is a good finisher under the rim and a trustworthy blocker. He can be a good backup center, especially when he pairs with a stretch four.

Tyus Jones is a very solid orchestrator who averaged 12.4 points and six assists with only 0.8 turnover per game. He may be a defensive deadweight in the starting lineup, but can be a good playmaker off the bench.

The Wizards will charge at least one first rounder for any of the above players in trade negotiations. The draft picks they will receive are unlikely top ones because they will be dealing with playoff teams. However, like we analyzed at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the Wizards don't have a clear target for the campaign. Therefore, it may not be too difficult to convince them to accept relatively lower offers in trade talks.