NBA Rumors: Wizards Fire 'a Number' of Staffers; Interim HC Keefe, Assistant Remain

The Wizards on Thursday fired "a number of staff members" while retaining interim head coach Brian Keefe and assistant coach David Vanterpool, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.

Keefe will now be a candidate to hold the head coaching position on a permanent basis, Wojnarowski reported.

Both Keefe and Vanterpool began the 2023-24 season as assistant coaches.

The Wizards promoted Keefe to interim head coach in January, after which the team finished the season 8-31.

The rebuilding Wizards missed the playoffs for a third straight year after earning a franchise history-low 15 total wins this season.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer said earlier this month that Keefe was a "strong" candidate to become the Wizards' full-time coach.

Josh Robbins reported Tuesday for The Athletic that the Wizards will take "the next week or so" to plan out their search process before reaching out to other teams.

Despite the teams' overall struggles, which were exacerbated by a spate of late-season injuries, the Wizards' front office may have taken note of the way key players saw improvements under Keefe's tenure.

One example is forward Deni Avdija, who earned more minutes and rebounding opportunities in the latter half of the season. He ended the campaign having averaged a career-high 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Another is Jordan Poole, whose production spiked during a February stretch as a bench player under Keefe's direction.

Keefe has worked as an NBA assistant coach since 2007 with the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.

Although Keefe's interim position marked the first head coaching role of his NBA career, it isn't the first time he's been considered for the position. Keefe interviewed with the Detroit Pistons for their then-vacant head coaching position last offseason, according to Wojnarowski.

Vanterpool could be considered for the position as well, once the Wizards formally begin their search. Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard in 2021 advocated for Vanterpool to be promoted to head coach during his eight-season tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves.