NBA Rumors: Scott Brooks to be the next Washington Wizards’ coach

Former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks has reportedly agreed to become the next head coach of the Eastern Conference’s Washington Wizards.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical of Yahoo! Sports, the Washington Wizards have hired former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks to become their next head coach for the 2016-17 NBA season.

Brooks was the Wizards’ first choice for the job to replace the departed Randy Wittman. Brooks was out of the NBA for the 2015-16 NBA season, but previous to that had a successful seven-year run coaching the Thunder in the Western Conference. The 2011-12 Thunder made it to their first-ever NBA Finals since relocating from Seattle with Brooks as its head coach.

Washington targeted Brooks for several reasons including his proven track record in the Western Conference, his great player development program, and his ability to connect with young players. Brooks spent 10 NBA seasons as a backup point guard and will now serve as the mentor for All-Star point guard John Wall and the often-injured shooting guard Bradley Beal should he re-up with the team.

Many will certainly jump to conclusions in thinking that the hiring of Brooks by Washington was done in part to hopefully entice D.C. native and Thunder All-Star small forward Kevin Durant, who will reportedly test free agency this summer.

Durant may have liked playing for Brooks, but even with his former coach now in Washington, it’s still unlikely that he will leave Oklahoma City to play for his hometown Wizards. Durant can still win titles with Russell Westbrook as his point guard. Brooks will look to make the Wizards relevant again in the Eastern Conference with a new-look roster centered around Wall.

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