Wizards Management Earns Rave Review Despite Award Loss

The Washington Wizards' front office has earned the full, vocal trust of surprised ownership.

Jan 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins introduces newly acquired Wizards guard Trae Young (not pictured) at a press conference prior to the Wizards' game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Boston Celtics General Manager Brad Stevens took home a decisive Executive of the Year award earlier this week, an announcement that should have surprised few. The star coach-turned-background director pivoted from Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear about as well as anyone could have imagined, piloting the Celtics to a fifth-consecutive 50+ win season and earning the respect from his league-wide peers.

Absent from the finalist tally was Washington Wizards GM Will Dawkins, and as good of a job he's done this season and over the course of his D.C. tenure, that can't have shocked many fans. The standard for upstart winners has been set, and the man who's work manifested in a 65-loss squad simply won't win any outward support until his win-loss results start dramatically shifting.

Brad Stevens received 11 first-place votes.

Pistons’ Trajan Langdon received six first-place votes, but Hawks’ Onsi Saleh finished second in the voting for Executive of the Year.

NBA executives voted for this award, not the media. pic.twitter.com/QICP9EE40X

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 28, 2026

But while he's still waiting for his day of widespread praise to come, Dawkins has heard all he needs to from in-house. He wouldn't have ever been hired or entrusted had Washington ownership not believed in the first-time manager's vision and ability to execute, and the warm vocal endorsement issued by Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis leaves no doubt that everyone in the building is in lockstep on the plans in motion.

"These guys are highly professional. They’re very thorough," Leonsis described in an interview with the Sports Business Journal's Tom Friend. They’re playing chess when sometimes it seems I might have been playing checkers. Or our organization might have been playing checkers before.”

Mar 27, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis shoots a basketball before the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Understanding the Assignment

Dawkins isn't a lone ranger at the top of Washington's pecking order, but as the face of the front office's operation, he's who outsiders first associate with the tactful rebuild that's surged through the long-underperforming franchise.

It was actually Michael Winger who Leonsis first hand-picked as president of Monumental Basketball, which in turn manages the Wizards alongside the Washington Mystics and the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards' G-League affiliate. Winger gave the keys to the Wizards' switchboard to Dawkins, and he's repaid that faith back with sound, confident decisions at every turn through three years on the job.

He's already proven himself one of the best trade hunters in the game, well before he made back-to-back low-risk, high-reward swings for undervalued stars in Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Consecutive trade deadlines filled with shrewd margin moves saw the Wizards gradually bolster their arsenal of draft capital, valuable resources that he's learned to routinely flip into high-upside draft prospects.

Mar 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) celebrates with forward Kyshawn George (18) during the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

It's a testament to his front office's culture, the kind that Friend was able to identify and illustrate, that the Wizards have been able to shrug off so much of their 21st century legacy since taking the organizational reins. Despite their relentlessly-poor luck in their attempt to control the top of the annual draft lotteries, Dawkins continues to make the best of each situation presented to him. No bemoaning poor fortune, and as SBJ highlights, no loose lips, either.

The only thing missing from his resume is, unfortunately, the piece of managerial evaluations that outsiders will look to first. 17 wins over the span of the 2025-26 schedule wasn't just a league-low; this has been allowed, if not encouraged, by the men behind Washington's curtains in their near-open prioritization of draft capital over nightly on-court wins. Dawkins' product has collected just 50 wins over his three seasons, good for a mere 20.3% win rate.

But he never said this would be a swift re-tool. He preaches patience any time he can in an attempt to demonstrate the organization's long-term goals to understandably-impatient locals, and he only began addressing the next phase of his and Winger's build once the newly-arrived All-Stars and ascending prospects began showing signs of meaningful growth, just as he'd anticipated upon their initial drafts and trade calls.

Mar 5, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) celebrates with Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) after a base against the Utah Jazz in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The foundation-laying stage is over, and the race will soon be on for the Wizards to contend in an Eastern Conference that, judging by the playoff's early returns, appears to be wide-open. The 2026-27 roster will feature more promise than anything the DMV's seen out of its NBA team in a decade, and their forward-thinking, secretive, smooth-talking frontman will soon finish expunging the stench he walked into with undeniable, enduring success.

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