The Washington Wizards are reportedly offering Denver Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr. the head-coaching job, connecting the team's past with its present.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Unseld Jr. and the Wizards are expected to finalize contract discussions over the weekend.
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
Unseld Jr.'s father, Wes Unseld Sr. is widely considered the greatest player in the history of D.C.'s NBA franchise, leading the former Washington Bullets on the court and later as a coach and executive. The Hall of Famer Unseld Sr. died last year.
Unseld Jr. worked with his father in Washington, first as a scout and later as an assistant coach. He has also had brief assistant-coaching jobs with the Warriors and Magic, and has been with the Nuggets since 2015.
The Wizards advanced to the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference this season, after beating the Indiana Pacers in the play-in round, but were eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers in five games. After the season, the team parted ways with Scott Brooks after five years, including three post-season appearances.
According to Marc Spears of The Undefeated, the hiring of Unseld Jr. means there will be 13 African-American coaches in the NBA next season and that six of the seven coaches hired this off-season are Black.
