The Washington Wizards haven't formally begun their search for a new general manager, but potential targets are starting to emerge. As Wizards governor Ted Leonsis said when dismissing former GM Tommy Sheppard, the team is looking at outside candidates to lead their front office.

Many expect Washington to inquire about the availability of Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri and Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly. New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon is also a possible candidate.

Ujiri is regarded as one of the top basketball executives in the game. He's shown no desire to leave Toronto when approached in the past, however.

Connelly formerly worked in the Wizards front office. He's only completing his first season leading the Wolves front office. He may not be willing to jump teams again so quickly.

Langdon is considered a rising star within the front office ranks. He's been David Griffin's righthand man, as they've rebuilt the New Orleans Pelicans following trading franchise player Anthony Davis.

Wes Unseld Jr. will remain as head coach of the Washington Wizards next season despite the dismissal of Tommy Sheppard.

The Wizards plan to replace Sheppard with an executive from outside the organization.

ESPN reports Unseld "continues to have a strong advocate with owner Ted Leonsis."

The Washington Wizards have parted ways with Tommy Sheppard as general manager.

Sheppard was promoted from interim general manager in 2019 after replacing Ernie Grunfeld and had been with the franchise since 2003.

During Sheppard's tenure, the Wizards traded John Wall and subsequently signed Bradley Beal to a supermax contract. The Wizards reached the playoffs in just one of Sheppard's four seasons in charge.

The Washington Wizards were recently eliminated from playoff contention and will finish under .500 on the season. However, the team has seen enough progress that they plan to keep Wes Unseld Jr. as their head coach.

“He is our coach moving forward,” Wizards president and general manager Tommy Sheppard said Tuesday.

The Wizards have gone 69-92 thus far under Unseld. However, both campaigns have seen injuries to key players sink those seasons.

Jay Huff has been named the 2022-23 NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year for his performances this season with the Capital City Go-Go, the NBA G League affiliate of the Washington Wizards, and the South Bay Lakers.

Huff, who signed a Two-Way contract with the Wizards on March 1, led the NBA G League with 3.1 blocks per game in the regular season in 28 games played. He also ranked second in the league for block percentage (among players with at least 20 games played) with 65.9 percent. With a rating of 16.0, Huff had the league’s third-highest player impact estimate (a metric used to gauge a player’s all-around contribution to the game). For 2022-23, Huff recorded averages of 15.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game along with his 3.1 blocks.