The Washington Wizards are set to hire Denver Nuggets associate coach Wes Unseld Jr. as their next head coach, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Fred Katz. The deal isn't done yet, but Unseld is the clear favorite for the job.

Unseld Jr. is the son of late Bullets legend Wes Unseld, who spent his entire 13-year career with the franchise and won an NBA title and Finals MVP in 1978.

The process of securing Unseld Jr. as the next coach of the Wizards moved forward on Friday afternoon:

Unseld Jr. started his coaching career with the Wizards in 2005 as an assistant after doing other work in the organization. He also spent time with the Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic before joining the Nuggets in 2015. The coach helped develop Denver's young core starring Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, ultimately becoming the associate head coach under Michael Malone.

The seemingly soon-to-be Wizards coach will be tasked with getting the franchise to the next level after a roller-coaster ride of a season under Scott Brooks. Washington stumbled out of the gates after trading John Wall for Russell Westbrook, only to make a huge push during the back end of the season to earn a spot in the play-in tournament with a 34-38 record.

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The Wizards lost to the Boston Celtics but then beat the Indiana Pacers in the tournament, setting up a first-round matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Washington lost in five games despite Joel Embiid suffering a knee injury during the series.

There are questions about the futures of Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, so that's something Unseld Jr. will have to navigate if he does indeed get this job. While there have been tons of rumors surrounding both players, neither of them have asked out of the organization.

This won't be an easy job for a first-time head coach, but Wes Unseld Jr. has paid his dues and is ready for the challenge.