The son of a franchise legend will take over the reins in the nation’s capital. According to a pair of reports by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Washington Wizards will end their widely-rumored courting of Wesley Unseld Jr. by making him the franchise’s next head coach.
The Washington Wizards are offering Denver Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld, Jr., the franchise’s head coaching job and sides are beginning contract talks soon expected to result in his hiring, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 16, 2021
The Washington Wizards are finalizing hiring Denver Nuggets associate Wes Unseld Jr. as the franchise’s next head coach, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 16, 2021
Wojnarowski reports that the two sides will sit down to discuss a contract on Saturday.
Contract talks will begin tomorrow and those are expected to result in an agreement that’ll make him the franchise’s next head coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 16, 2021
While he does not have any head coaching experience, Unseld has been an assistant in the league since 2005. He began his coaching career in 2005 with the Wizards, and after leaving the team in 2011, he’s had stops in Golden State, Orlando, and Denver. Since 2015, he’s been a member of the Nuggets’ coaching staff.
Unseld, of course, is the son of the late Wesley Unseld Sr., one of the greatest players in franchise history who was named the league’s MVP in 1969 and led the team to a championship in 1978. He spent his entire professional career, from 1968-81, with the team before retiring, becoming an assistant coach in 1987, and serving as head coach from 1988-94.
Washington’s head coaching job opened up after the team failed to come to an agreement on a contract extension with Scott Brooks, who accrued a 183-207 record in five years in D.C.