It is not uncommon for somebody to describe the Washington Wizards as a trainwreck of an organization. While they have made some great trades in recent years, there is definitely room for improvement in how they can construct their roster. This is where the newly available Bob Myers, GM of the Golden State Warriors, becomes extremely interesting.
Now I’ll give credit where credit is due, Tommy Sheppard has been fantastic at hunting down disgruntled players and nabbing steals in trades. Consistently flipping players like Russell Westbrook for players like Kyle Kuzma. Even Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans for Kristaps Porzingis.
He has also found some under the radar free agency signings. Delon Wright and Jordan Goodwin have both been fantastic two-way players for the Wiz. He has even helped secure some major extensions, for better or for worse with Bradley Beal and Daniel Gafford.
Even with all of the good things he has done, moving on from Sheppard may be what’s best for the franchise. His inability to draft has left them in a hole with little wiggle room to grow. This will only get worse if they win in the Play-In tournament and watch their pick transfer to the New York Knicks.
However, he is incapable of drafting quality players that fit the roster. He’s had some selections with positive upside like Deni Avdija and Rui Hachimura, but neither of those players have realized their potential yet.
The biggest weakness of Sheppard is finding talent outside of already established players. While this is difficult to do, it is vital in building a contending roster. He has missed great players over and over again during his tenure as GM.
He has passed on numerous great players with plenty of room to grow like Jalen Duren, Jalen Williams, and even Tyrese Haliburton. This draft history is concerning at the very least and could be the reason to move on from him.
His draft decisions and the failure of Wes Unseld Jr to develop his draft choices could motivate Ted Leonsis to move on to a GM like Bob Myers.