Wizards offer contract extension to GM Tommy Sheppard

The Wizards have had a bright start to their 2021 season and the effort from the back office is being recognized.

Wizards extend GM's contract

The Washington Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard has definitely been doing something right. On his watch the Wizards raced out to their best start since the 1974-75 season. Ahead of their game against Charlotte on Wednesday night, the Wizards are sitting on a 10-3 record which incidentally is the best record in the Eastern Conference at the moment. It's not hard to understand then, that Sheppard has been offered a contract extension.

According to a statement provided by Monumental Sports & Entertainment on Wednesday, Sheppard and Sashi Brown both signed multiyear extensions while receiving promotions at the same time. Sheppard will now assume the role of not just general manager but president as well. Brown on the other hand will now become president of Monumental Basketball and special adviser to the office of the CEO at Monumental Sports & Entertainment having previously served as chief planning and operations officer.

"Tommy has effectively improved our team each year of his tenure by following the plan he laid out to us as his vision when we hired him as general manager, and Sashi has been instrumental in making us a leader in analytics, research and player engagement while efficiently streamlining operations across all of our basketball teams and venues," said Ted Leonsis, the Wizards' owner and founder and CEO of MS&E.

The Wizards are forward thinking

The Wizards definitely shook things up coming into this season, but it seems those bold moves are paying off. After hiring Wes Unseld Jr. as the new coach in the off season, they then traded Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers in a shocking move that brought Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the opposite direction. The Wizards were also able to sign guard Spencer Dinwiddie in another move that has most definitely brought returns.

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"I am honored to represent this organization and tremendously grateful for the opportunity to continue building this team in order to use what we accomplish both on and off the court to uplift the community," Sheppard said. "Our staff, and their dedication to working together, has been essential to our success, and we will continue to work hard, follow our plan and make our fans proud of the team we put on the floor."

A glance at Tommy Sheppard and Sashi Brown

A veteran of the league without doubt, Sheppard is now in his 19th season with the Wizards. Before his stint as GM, he was in fact senior vice president of basketball operations from 2013 to 2019 and vice president of basketball operations from 2003 to 2013. Brown on the other hand has actually come from an American Football background. Formerly a GM of the Cleveland Browns, the new president will take the lead on a variety of  operations for the Wizards, the WNBA's Washington Mystics and the G League's Capital City Go-Go.

His portfolio will also include research and information systems, technology, equipment, team communications, finance, facilities, security and player engagement as well as MS&E's overall venue operations.