Wizards fire general manager Tommy Sheppard after missing playoffs in three of his four seasons at the helm

Sheppard took over for Ernie Grunfeld in 2019

The Washington Wizards have fired general manager Tommy Sheppard, the team announced Wednesday. Sheppard, who has been with the team in some capacity since 2003, took over as general manager in 2019. The Wizards went 129-179 in his four seasons as general manager. Owner Ted Leonsis released the following statement after making the move:

"Tommy Sheppard was relieved from his duties as General Manager and President of the Washington Wizards. Failure to make the playoffs the last two seasons was very disappointing to our organization and fans.

A search for new leadership will begin immediately for an executive from outside the organization.

I would like to thank Tommy for his dedication to the Wizards organization and wish him the best in his future endeavors."

Sheppard took over the Wizards after the 16-year tenure of Ernie Grunfeld. In those 16 years, Grunfeld was known for keeping the Wizards competitive without building them into a true championship contender. This is, in essence, the philosophy of the Wizards as an organization. Leonsis once infamously said that the Wizards will "never, ever tank." 

That has largely been true during his tenure, and it held firm for Sheppard's. If you adjust each of his four seasons to an 82-game pace, Sheppard's Wizards were between 28 and 38 wins in each year. They never fell to the bottom of the standings, but without the high draft picks that come with doing so, they could never add the sort of talent needed to escape the middle. The Wizards made the playoffs only once under Sheppard.

The Wizards will retain head coach Wes Unseld Jr. for his third season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. His relationship with Leonsis remains strong, according to Wojnarowski, and the Wizards will now seek a new head of basketball operations to work alongside him.

When the Wizards sought a new general manager in 2019, they reportedly went big-game hunting. They interviewed then-Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly, who ultimately chose to stay with the Nuggets at the time, and reports indicated they were interested in Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri, who signed an extension with the Raptors in 2021. It is unclear if they will take that approach this time around, but their statement makes it clear that Leonsis wants to win right away. Given the current state of their roster, there aren't many general managers out there capable of doing so.