The Washington Wizards announced a major restructuring of their basketball operations on July 5, 2026, adding Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing as an assistant coach and veteran coach Steve Clifford as an adviser.
The team also transitioned lead assistant David Vanterpool into a front-office role.
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According to reports from ESPN and The Athletic, head coach Brian Keefe is building an experienced support system to guide a young roster featuring top draft pick A.
J. Dybantsa alongside All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis.
Coaching Staff Reshuffled
Assistant coach Adam Caporn will be elevated to lead assistant under Keefe.
Caporn, who also serves as head coach of the Australian men's national team, joined the Wizards before the 2024-25 season.
Ewing returns to the franchise where he began his coaching career as an assistant during the 2002-03 season.
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The former New York Knicks star and Georgetown legend most recently worked as a Knicks ambassador after a six-year tenure as Georgetown's head coach that ended in 2023.
Clifford joins as a coaching consultant after spending last season in a similar role with the Phoenix Suns.
He previously spent 10 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic, securing four playoff appearances.
The additions bring together familiar faces: Ewing served under Clifford in Orlando and Charlotte, and Clifford previously worked alongside Keefe and Caporn during the 2021-22 season as a consultant for the Brooklyn Nets.
Vanterpool will move to an unannounced front-office position after 13 years as an NBA assistant coach, according to a team source.
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The move reunites him with general manager Will Dawkins and Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger, all of whom worked together in the Oklahoma City Thunder scouting department between 2010 and 2012.
