What is the worst record in Washington Wizards franchise history?

With under 10 games to play in the 2023-24 regular season, this year's iteration of Washington Wizards basketball has been among the most disappointing in franchise history. Although the losses are part of the rebuilding process, this year's Wizards are in jeopardy of reaching uncharted territory in the loss column.

After Friday's 96-87 loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Wizards' loss total ballooned to 60 on the year. The mark is one of the worst in franchise history and with more basketball to play, it may reach record-breaking status.

The 2 worst seasons in Washington Wizards franchise history

As things currently stand, the most losses suffered by a Wizards team in a single season is a tie between the 2000-01 and the 2008-09 squads. In those seasons, the Wizards lost a record 63 games, surprisingly avoiding the league's worst record in both years.

The 2000-01 season was Michael Jordan's lone year as the Wizards' president of basketball operations. Under Jordan, the team traded away Juwan Howard and released Rod Strickland after losing 34 of their first 41 games. With Mitch Richmond playing just 37 games due to injury, some believed the team's best player was its president, prompting Jordan to step out of the front office position and onto the court the following season.

As for the 2008-09 team, an early 1-10 start led the team to fire head coach Eddie Jordan after just 11 games. Replacing the Wizards' third-most winning coach in franchise history was the team's director of player development, Ed Tapscott. The Wizards would lose another 53 games under Tapscott in a season in which Wizards star Gilbert Arenas played just two games. The team's leading scorer, Antawn Jamison, averaged 22.2 points per game.

What was the best season the Washington Wizards ever had?

Before the modern era of Wizards basketball, the 1974-75 team took the league by storm. From 1969 to 1980, the Bullets made 12 consecutive playoff appearances, highlighted by a 60-win season. With K.C. Jones succeeding Gene Shue as the team's head coach the year prior, the Bullets opened the 1974-75 season with a seven-game win streak.

By season's end, the Bullets were 60-22, led in scoring by future Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes. Despite the efforts of Wes Unseld, Phil Chenier, and Hayes, the Bullets were swept by Rick Barry and the Golden State Warriors in the 1975 NBA Finals. The same Bullets core would return to the NBA Finals three seasons later and finish the job against the Seattle SuperSonics.

Since those days, the closest the Wizards have gotten to matching 60 wins came during the 2016-17 season, in which John Wall and Bradley Beal led the team to a 49-33 record. However, that year, the Boston Celtics proved too much for the Wizards in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, leading to their displacement from the 2017 NBA playoffs.

What are the odds the 2023-24 Wizards have the worst record in franchise history?

At 14-60, the Wizards have eight games remaining this season, including matchups with the Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the top-seeded Celtics.

The Wizards' remaining schedule for the 2023-24 regular season goes as follows:

Over the final two weeks of the season, the Wizards are set to face a gauntlet. On Sunday, the team will welcome in the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, fresh off a 142-82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Matchups against Chicago, Toronto, and Portland are winnable for Washington. However, three wins over their last eight games of the season will not be enough for the Wizards to avoid setting a new franchise record for losses.