The Washington Wizards Have Signed Scott Brooks As Head Coach

Scott Brooks, most recently the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder until this season, has been hired to replace Randy Wittman on the bench for the Washington Wizards. The news came via Adrian Wojnarowski at The Vertical:

Kevin Durant is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He’s also played his cards incredibly close to the vest and let the rumors swirl. He grew up in the DC area, so the Wizards have fancied themselves likely candidates to pry Durant away from the only team he’s ever known. The problem is, of course, that the Thunder are a much better team as the two are presently constructed. They needed an edge, and they’re hoping Durant’s old coach is that edge (though Woj’s sources say that’s not the case). The structure of the deal gives the clear message that they want him around for a while:

The Wizards can’t just hire Brooks and call it a day, however. Their front line of Nene and Marcin Gortat, and their bench in general, looked outmatched all season. They need help, and their best-case scenario would be Durant committing early and recruiting other free agents to join him. Other teams had the same idea, of course:

If the Wizards fail to land Durant in the summer, they’ll still wind up with a coach who was well liked by a team with multiple stars; although, also someone without the kind of X’s and O’s reputation that unexpected with an organization that just got rid of Randy Wittman. Regardless, in the race for KD, the Wizards have jockeyed into position with the hiring, while handing Brooks a half-decade of security.

(Via Yahoo)