Ernie Grunfeld's reign with the Washington Wizards has come to an end, as the Wizards fired him from their president of basketball operations position on Tuesday.
Some might say that his dismissal was a long time coming, as Washington has been floundering for the last two years and has not made it past the second round of the playoffs since Grunfeld took over all the way back in 2003.
Obviously, the Wizards are a mess right now, as they are paying John Wall massive money through 2022 and possibly through 2023 if Wall decides to exercise his $47 million option that summer (he'll probably opt in).
That normally wouldn't be such a horrendous thing, as Wall is a very good player, but he just tore his Achilles and hasn't even started his new deal yet, so that could get pretty ugly.
As for Bradley Beal? He is under contract through 2021 and is making a much more manageable $27 million next season and nearly $29 million in the final year of his deal, but he could be in line for a supermax extension after that. The fact of the matter is that the Wizards don't have much cap space due to Wall and Beal eating up most of their available money.
It's also not like Washington has any elite young talent to look forward to, so, yeah, the Wizards are in for a long few years.
That's why, now more than ever, Washington needs a bright mind to make basketball decisions. Interim general manager Tommy Sheppard will be a candidate for the position, but here are a few outside candidates who could potentially replace Grunfeld.
3. Mike Zarren
Mike Zarren is currently working under Danny Ainge in the Boston Celtics organization, so he has certainly learned from one of the best in the business. Zarren isn't just a background guy, either; he has a lot of say in what goes on in Boston and is very well-renowned by Celtics brass.
While Zarren has said numerous times that he loves it in Beantown and has no intention of leaving, you have to think that at some point, he is going to want to go out on his own and try this whole general manager thing.
The Wizards aren't exactly the freshest start he can make, as, again, they are in salary cap purgatory, but just imagine how lauded Zarren would be if he turned this franchise around?
Given that he has been watching Ainge for years, Zarren likely knows a thing or two about making shrewd trades and nailing draft picks, and while that does not mean that he is going to be Danny Ainge, his experience working with him should at least be helpful.
Hey, he can't be any worse than Grunfeld has been, right?
2. Larry Harris
The New Orleans Pelicans have already expressed significant interest in Larry Harris and have received permission from the Golden State Warriors to interview him for their vacant general manager position.
So, why shouldn't the Wizards follow suit?
Harris actually has some experience as a GM, as he served in that role for the Milwaukee Bucks from 2003 through 2008. Since then, Harris has been working for the Warriors, first serving as an assistant coach during his first season with the club and then becoming a scout and a consultant the following season.
Golden State's scouting has been pretty on point over the last decade, as it has landed players such as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green through the draft, so it seems safe to say that Harris has been doing a fine job.
Harris was promoted to the Dubs' director of player personnel role in 2015, and the following season, he was named the franchise's assistant general manager, so he has held a prominent position in one of the best front offices in sports for quite some time.
Anyone from the Warriors' front office is obviously going to be in high demand given the franchise's success rate in recent years, so Harris could absolutely be a guy in whom Washington shows significant interest.
1. David Griffin
That brings us to the guy who should have never been allowed to step down from his post as Cleveland Cavaliers general manager: David Griffin.
Griffin stepped down following Cleveland's Finals loss to the Warriors in 2017, one year after the Cavs upset the Dubs in a thrilling seven-game Finals victory.
It never made much sense for the two parties to part ways, but, regardless, Griffin is out there, and he might be the best available choice for the Wizards.
Griffin definitely worked some magic during his brief stint with the Cavaliers, bringing in role players like Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Channing Frye and Kyle Korver, all of whom really helped Cleveland.
Now, to be fair, Griffin does not have a ton of experience and has never had to build a team from scratch, but why not give him the opportunity?
He seems to know what he is doing, and he has a championship under his belt.
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