The Washington Wizards may have found a new head coach and perhaps another bargaining chip to lure superstar Kevin Durant in free agency.
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Washington is the front-runner to land former Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks, who has also received interest from Houston.
The Wizards, meanwhile, remain in pole position in the chase for Scotty Brooks with the Rockets still engaged in a playoff series
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) April 18, 2016
The Wizard fired coach Randy Wittman one day after the regular season ended. He went 178-199 in four and a half seasons with the team, taking the Wizards to the playoffs twice.
Brooks guided the Thunder to five playoff appearances in seven seasons, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2012, where the Thunder lost to the Miami Heat in five games. He also won Coach of the Year in 2010 and was twice named the Western Conference All-Star coach. When he was fired in 2015, Brooks left as the third-winningest coach in Sonics/Thunder history.
Durant, who is a free agent this summer, thinks highly of his former coach, so if the Wizards were to land Brooks, it might entice the seven-time All-Star to return home to Washington. But even if he doesn’t, Brooks is still a good hire for the Wizards, who missed the playoffs after finishing 41-41 in 2015-16.
