Kenny Atkinson is in Brooklyn. Tom Thibodeau is in Minnesota. Scott Brooks is in Washington…if he wants to be.
With other teams scooping up available coaching candidates like crazy, the Wizards have apparently offered Brooks their head coaching gig, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Washington Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld met with Scott Brooks on Wednesday in Southern California, offering him the franchise’s head-coaching job, league sources told The Vertical.
Brooks has been enthusiastic about reaching an agreement with the Wizards and could complete negotiations on a contract that will pay him in the range of $7 million a season, league sources told The Vertical.
Raise your hand if you’re surprised.
No one?
Good.
The Wizards have been linked to Brooks since before the regular season ended. As Kevin Durant’s former coach, and someone the 2013-14 MVP still respects, he gives the Wizards an inside track on recruiting him in free agency.
Beyond that, though, he is well liked among players and balanced a ton of on-court egos during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder. That makes him an ideal fit to manage the minds of Bradley Beal, John Wall and any other high-profile players the Wizards will add in the near future.
Brooks isn’t known for his tactical genius, which could be an issue. But he’s not clueless, and Washington can put assistants in place that help with the offense. He is what they need right now—even if he cannot get them on the short list for Durant’s potential destinations in free agency.
