5. Scott Brooks
The cards dealt to Scott Brook haven’t always been the fairest. He joined the Washington Wizards prior to the 2016-17 season, and since then the franchise has financially handcuffed itself with deals ranging from logical to comical, while the total chemistry of the roster seems to be modest at best.
After making the playoffs in each of the last two campaigns under Brooks, Washington nosedived this season with a record of just 27-39. All-Star John Wall was shut down right before the new year and would later require Achilles surgery that will put him out of commission for roughly 12 months.
Side note to the @ZachLowe_NBA article is that the one-year trade restriction for John Wall was lifted today. Wall who signed a super max contract last July is in the last year of his rookie ext. ($19.2M) and will see that number increase to $38.1, $41.2, $44.3 and $47.3 million.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 27, 2018
The absence of Wall has proven great for Bradley Beal, who’s averaged 28.2 points per game since his backcourt mate went down, but it’s also left the Wizards without a clear direction for the immediate future, seeing as how Wall’s contract that will pay him roughly $170 million over the next four seasons renders him untradable.
The front office may simply be content to ride out this era with the former Coach of the Year at the helm, but they may also find it in their best interest to shift the direction of the franchise with Beal as the headliner and a coach better suited to bring out the best of the star shooting guard still only 25 years of age.