The Washington Wizards expect to have Brian Keefe return as their coach in 2026-27, general manager Will Dawkins told reporters Thursday.
“I anticipate Brian to be here,” Dawkins said when asked about Keefe’s status during his end-of-season news conference.
Keefe has presided over one of the NBA’s youngest rosters in his two-plus seasons as Wizards coach, shepherding Washington through a rebuilding phase and overseeing the development of a roster that featured several first-round picks: center Alex Sarr, guards Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington, and forwards Bilal Coulibaly, Will Riley and Kyshawn George.
Since taking over for Wes Unseld in January 2024, Keefe has gone 43-160.
This season, Washington made a pair of dramatic moves around the trade deadline, landing All-Stars guard Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks and Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks.
Young played in only five games for the Wizards before being shut down with a right quadriceps and back irritation.
Davis didn’t play in any games for Washington due to a sprained finger on his non-shooting hand. Davis, who is under contract for one more season, said Monday that he is committed to the Wizards for at least the 2026-27 season, joking “I love my money.”
Washington is also hoping for lottery luck to earn the No. 1 pick in a loaded draft. The Wizards finished with the NBA’s worst record this season at 17-65 and will be one of three teams with a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick. They can’t fall any lower in the draft than No. 5.
“We put him in a situation this season which was a little difficult when you just think about the amount of youth [and] the amount of change that we had,” Dawkins said of Keefe’s performance.
Keefe, 50, was a longtime NBA assistant coach, spending more than over a decade in that role with the Seattle SuperSonics, Oklahoma City Thunder (twice), New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Wizards before getting his first head coaching opportunity.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
