Washington Wizards: 3 must-have traits for the next head coach

Must-have Trait #1: Flexibility

In an ideal world, the new Washington Wizards head coach will come in and help the Westbrook/Beal combo achieve their greatest heights. The winning will convince Beal to stay in Washington for seasons to come, and all will be right with Wizards basketball.

But that’s in an ideal world. We don’t live in an ideal world, and there is a chance that that sequence of events does not play out in D.C. There is a chance that Beal does not sign an extension this offseason or next offseason. And there is a chance that the Wizards are forced to trade him or lose him in free agency. Either way, if Beal leaves, the Wizards will be forced to officially enter rebuild mode. If that happens, life will be far different for whoever is sitting in the head coach’s seat.

Instead of playoff pushes with an All-Star backcourt, it will likely be lottery seasons full of developmental trial and error. Whoever the Wizards bring in to replace Scott Brooks will need to be ready and willing to go down either path if need be. Otherwise, the Wizards could be doing this all over again a lot sooner than everyone would like.