The Washington Wizards were the worst team in the NBA during the 2025-26 NBA season.
They finished the season with a league-worst 17-65 record and missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season. Despite these struggles though, the organization doesn’t plan to make a change when it comes to the position of head coach.
Wizards Plan to Keep Brian Keefe as Head Coach for Next Season
During a media session on Thursday, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins made it clear that the team plans to retain Brian Keefe as head coach.
“Yeah I anticipate Brian Keefe to be here,” Dawkins replied when asked a direct question regarding Keefe’s future with the franchise.
Keefe took over as head coach in Washington during the 2023-24 season. Since then, he has compiled a record of 43-160, which translates to a winning percentage of 21.
Despite the underwhelming results, it’s clear that Keefe still has some support within the organization and Dawkins doesn’t blame him for all of the issues that plagued the team this past season.
“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.
The Wizards made a couple of major additions during the season as the organization traded for stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis. With those guys in town, the Wizards will aim to build back into a contender in the Eastern Conference, and Keefe will be tasked with overseeing that development, at least to start.
It’s fair to wonder how long he’ll last in the role if the Wizards struggle again out of the gate next season, as the patience Washington’s front office is showing with Keefe right now might not last too long.
Brian Keefe Saw Reasons for Optimism Amid Washington’s Forgettable 2025-26 Season
While speaking at his end-of-season press conference earlier this week, Keefe acknowledged that no one is satisfied with the way the ’25-26 season turned out for Washington, but he was also able to highlight some positives involving culture and collaboration that the team can try to build on moving forward.
“We’re competitors here. No one wants to lose. We’re not happy about any of that. But there are some things that I am specifically pleased about. The organizational culture that we developed on an everyday basis, the environment that we built,” Keefe said.
“That stuff really matters, and that takes a lot of intention and it takes a lot of discipline and it takes a lot of collaboration. I’m really proud of how we as an organization did all that this year. That stuff matters and that stuff is going to build us into what we think is going to be the most important thing is a consistent winner, which has been the message and the goal all along.”
Keefe is obviously optimistic about the future in Washington, but moving forward he’ll be under some serious pressure to turn things around, quickly. If he can’t do that, the Wizards will assuredly look for someone who can.
Washington Wizards Make Major Decision Regarding Brian Keefe’s Future with Franchise