Washington Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard was fired Thursday by the organization only two years after a contract extension.
Since signing that extension, the Wizards have missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Sheppard first joined the Wizards in 2003 as vice president of basketball Operations, and was promoted to general manager in 2019 when Ernie Grunfeld was dismissed. He was one of the key figures who built the John Wall/Bradley Beal era of Washington basketball that represented a high-water mark of recent success for the franchise.
“Failure to make the playoffs the last two seasons was very disappointing to our organization and our fans,” said owner Ted Leonsis in a statement shortly after the news was announced. “A search for new leadership will begin immediately for an executive from outside the organization. I would like to thank Tommy for his dedication to the Wizards organization and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Despite the firing, Sheppard did make some good moves. He traded point guard Russell Westbrook for scoring forward Kyle Kuzma, who is still in Washington, along with sharpshooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and backup center Montreal Harrell. His best trade is undoubtedly a swap of three-point specialist Davis Bertans and disgruntled guard Spencer Dinwiddie for versatile big man Kristaps Porzingis, who has resurrected his career in Washington. Sheppard’s draft selection of Rui Hachimura was widely celebrated, although his trade of Hachimura for Kendrick Nunn and several second-round draft picks left many Wizards fans confused.
Sheppard will be largely remembered for poor player development and bad contracts. In particular, he will be known for giving Bradley Beal one of the largest contracts in NBA history, with a no-trade clause, and for giving Davis Bertans a five-year, $80 million contract following a season where he shot 42% from three-point range.
Others believe issues with the franchise go deeper than their recently dismissed general manager. The Wizards have not made it to the Eastern Conference finals or won 50 games since the franchise won the NBA Finals in 1977, and star players such as Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace spent little of their careers in Washington after being drafted.
“They’re not going to be great until they get rid of their owner. Washington sports are cursed, because they trade their talent before they have time to develop,” said 76ers fan Carl Parker Jr.
Parker believes the Hachimura trade was not a win for the Wizards organization.
“Every young player they trade, from the core of the 2004 Pistons and Chris Webber, achieves more success elsewhere,” Parker said.
