Ted Leonsis wants Wizards to ’emulate’ five-year plan

The Washington Wizards haven’t won 50 games since 1979 and that’s not going to change this year.

But that doesn’t seem to bother team owner Ted Leonsis, who wants the Wizards to emulate a “five-year” plan once used by the NHL’s Washington Capitals, also owned by Leonsis. That’s according to David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who have teamed up to document the Wizards’ road in their rebuild.

“The model Leonsis wants the Wizards to emulate is the ‘five-year plan’ used by the Washington Capitals, under team chairman Dick Patrick and president of hockey operations and general manager Brian MacLellan,” Aldridge and Robbins wrote. “The plan is not a literal document, of course; it’s a guide map, the team’s philosophy on roster construction.”

The Wizards (4-21) under new head of basketball operations Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins. For now, it seems, the job of coach Wes Unseld Jr. is safe as the Wizards are taking a patient approach. The idea is to build through the draft and via trades, it seems, as Washington isn’t exactly a hot free-agent destination.

“Per Wizards sources, Washington will prioritize players in the NBA Draft who possess positional length — similar to the philosophy of the Orlando Magic — along with high basketball IQs and strong work ethics,” Aldridge and Robbins wrote. “With those three traits, the Wizards think they can maximize any draft pick’s skill levels to the utmost. Ultimately, of course, the goal is to build around a superstar or superstars.”

In Part 3 of our series on the Wizards' rebuild, @JoshuaBRobbins & I examine how the team's new front office plans to improve the roster, leaning in on the draft. There's no guarantee it will work, but this is the path most NBA teams take. In @TheAthletic: https://t.co/InzwT8q50z

— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) December 18, 2023