Washington Wizards GM Will Dawkins wants as many high-level competitors as possible
By Cem Yolbulan
After being one of the busiest front offices in the NBA this offseason, the newly-minted Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins sat down for an interview explaining the team’s decision-making process. In a one-on-one interview with the Wizards’ play-by-play announcer Chris Miller for NBC Sports Washington, Dawkins talked about his team-building strategy and the vision for the Wizards.
Dawkins highlighted his overall plan for the team, shedding light on the decisions to acquire Jordan Poole and retain Kyle Kuzma. He explained that there were “a lot of good players on the team” when they took over and it made more sense to not tear everything down completely.
He emphasized their desire to build habits and surround the team with players who do things the right way. According to Dawkins, having hard-working players who want to be there is more important in the long term than a complete teardown.
This reaffirms the initial remarks both Dawkins and the new team president Michael Winger made in their introductory press conference. There, both executives had stated their priorities as bringing in ‘high-character players who love basketball.”
GM Dawkins underlined that preference and intention this time around too. In the interview, Dawkins said they are looking for “high-level competitors and humans” and they will not shy away from going after players who fit that bill.
When asked about why the Wizards chose to keep Deni Avdija, Daniel Gafford, and Corey Kispert, the general manager highlighted the character aspect once again. According to him, these players don’t only bring unique on-court skillsets, but they are also hard workers who believe in the team’s project.
This is refreshing to hear from the team executives. There is a clear plan and vision for the Washington Wizards, and every move the front office makes is a part of the plan. Instead of making a decision about being competitive or tearing it all down, Washington has chosen to build a winning culture. And that is the most important thing the Wizards needed.
