The Wizards fire general manager Tommy Sheppard after he again misses the playoffs

WASHINGTON – The Washington Wizards shake up their organization after all – in the front office at least.

The Wizards fired general manager Tommy Sheppard on Wednesday after the team missed the postseason for the second straight season. Sheppard’s dismissal comes less than two years after he was awarded a contract extension in November 2021. Washington went 35-47 in 2021-22 and then posted the same record this season.

“Failure to make the playoffs in the past two seasons has been extremely disappointing to our organization and our fans. The search for new leadership will begin immediately for an executive from outside the organization,” owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement. “I would like to thank Tommy for his dedication to the Wizards organization and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Wes Unseld Jr. will be returning for his third season as coach, and ESPN sources have told Adrian Wojnarowski that he still has a solid defender with Leonsis.

The Wizards’ search for a new president and GM would begin as the only active search in the market.

The magicians signed the guardian of the stars Bradley Bell He landed another maximum value contract off-season, but the team showed no visible improvement. Early last week, Sheppard caught up with reporters to wrap up the season. After about half an hour of answering questions, he was asked if he had officially met Leonsis to confirm his return. He seemed surprised by the question.

“myself?” Sheppard said. “This was never part of a conversation.”

Sheppard said that day that the team hopes to return Christaps Porzingis And Kyle Kuzma-Both have player options. While the Wizards were visibly upset with the way this season turned out, no big changes seemed imminent, but it’s now clear that there could be an important new direction.

Sheppard spent 20 seasons with the organization. He served as Vice President of Basketball Operations from 2003 to 2013 and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations from 2013 to 2019.

He became interim general manager when Ernie Grunfeld was fired late in the 2018-19 season, then the temporary tag was removed. Sheppard’s tenure as GM was eventful. John Wall replaced with Russell Westbrook, then eventually dealt with Westbrook in the deal that brought Kuzma to Washington. Porzingis also came to witches in the trade.

Through it all, however, Washington hasn’t been able to shake its status as a frontier playoff team at best.

Sheppard did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.