Boston Celtics: Ranking Cs among head coaching openings
Head Coach Opening #5: Washington Wizards
Similar to the Magic, the Washington Wizards have been stuck in a rut of mediocrity over the past five years, once again being bounced out in the first round of the playoffs. They chose to move on from Scott Brooks on Wednesday, as he failed to maximize the talent on the roster, often using questionable lineups to play around star point guard Russell Westbrook.
The Wizards’ most important asset is by far Bradley Beal. The 27-year-old had a career year in 2020, averaging 31.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on 48.5% shooting. That kind of production and efficiency cannot be matched by many, making Beal one of the best scorers in the league. His name has been in trade talks for multiple seasons now, as the Wizards need to move him if they want to start a rebuild, but have been reluctant to for whatever reason.
They once again have the opportunity to move him this offseason, as they can still get a boatload of assets for the All-NBA guard. He has two years left on his max contract, as does Westbrook. With Mr. Triple-Double, the team is always going to hold some sort of competitiveness, making it difficult to tank.
However, the Wizards already have some interesting young talents in Rui Hacimura, Deni Avdija, and Daniel Gafford. The development of their young players should be the focus of their franchise in the near future rather than fighting for a spot in the play-in once again.
Head Coach Opening #4: Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers have been known as a franchise to get the most out of their players. Unfortunately, this season with new head coach Nate Bjorkgren was not the same, failing to make the playoffs. One reason for this was injuries, as bubble standout, T.J. Warren only played four games all year.
The Pacers’ core is all signed through the 2022-23 season, including Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, and Caris LeVert. That lineup can compete in a playoff series, but cannot take the next step to championship contention when teams like the 76ers, Nets, and Bucks are still in the East.
It will be difficult to make this team significantly better without trading one of their core pieces, as they have no flexibility to add any free agents of note. They will have a late lottery pick this draft, which will likely be their main addition of the offseason unless they decide to finally move center Myles Turner after all of the trade rumors last year.
Ultimately, this team is destined to be in the play-in for the next few seasons, unable to change their roster too much due to current contract structures. That makes this job appealing, as a new head coach has the opportunity to surprise the league and take a largely-known core to the next level.