NBA Rumors: Wizards Seem Likely to Keep Scott Brooks on Board

As the first-seeded Philadelphia 76ers gave the eighth-seeded Washington Wizards a hard time in the first round of the 2020-2021 NBA Playoffs, many started thinking the postseason series could be the beginning of the end of the Scott Brooks era in DC.

Brooks, who has coached the Wizards since the 2016 NBA season, doesn't have too much to show for these days. After taking a season off following his long-term stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder organization, Brooks joined the Wizards. While he coached Washington to the playoffs in his first two seasons, he missed the postseason the following two years.

This year, the Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal-led Wizards barely cracked the playoffs. After finishing eighth in the Eastern Conference, they became one of four teams battling it out for the final two playoff seeds in the NBA's new Play-In tournament.

After losing the first game to the Boston Celtics, the Wizards failed to notch the seventh seed, which would've gotten them a seven-game series with the Brooklyn Nets. Fortunately for Washington, their shot at redemption was a successful one as they defeated the Indiana Pacers, clinching the remaining spot in the postseason.

The Wizards dropped their first two playoff games on the road against the Sixers. Then, they failed to take advantage of home-court advantage in Game 3 as well. Although the Wizards picked up a desperate victory to avoid a sweep in the first round, they couldn't stay alive beyond Game 5.

While it seemed the Brooks era in Washington could be coming to an end following another playoff failure, recent reports indicate that everything is trending in the right direction for Brooks, who wants to remain head coach of the Wizards.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, "there’s positive momentum going Brooks’ way." While Washington could easily stray away from Brooks by not retaining him for next season and beyond, NBC Sports Washington's Dan Feldman speculates that both sides are seemingly committed to "coming to terms."

A lot can change over the course of the offseason, but the Wizards haven't shown any indications of re-evaluating the top of its coaching staff just yet. In fact, Washington's star leader Russell Westbrook publicly made it clear he's in favor of the Wizards keeping Brooks on board following the series against Philadelphia. 

The Wizards' front office will ultimately decide brooks' future, but the opinion from a seasoned veteran like Westbrook will always hold value to any front office. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.