Randy Wittman was informed Wednesday that he will not be back with the Washington Wizards next season after they finished a disappointing 41-41 this season and missed the playoffs. Although Wittman’s firing is fresh, there is already chatter about who will be the next Wizards coach.
Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks and former Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek are candidates for the job.
Brooks and Hornacek would be considered retreads as both of them have recently been fired. Brooks coached the Thunder from 2008-2015, leading them to the playoffs five times and the NBA Finals once. He was named Coach of the Year for the 2009-2010 season.
Hornacek was a longtime NBA guard who finished his career with the Utah Jazz and then began his coaching career as an assistant for the franchise. He coached the Suns for two and a half seasons, going 101-112 before being fired in February.
This should be a busy offseason for Brooks, who also has been mentioned in conjunction with the Houston Rockets’ job.
The Wizards are a job that should be enticing for prospective coaches. They feature a talented backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, and they have a strong center in Marcin Gortat. The team seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough after reaching the second round of the playoffs in consecutive seasons before missing the postseason this year.
