Presti's Tree Reaches DC: The Official Will Dawkins Thread

[FAH1223]

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WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards will hire Oklahoma City Thunder executive Will Dawkins as the franchise’s No. 2 basketball operations executive, reporting to Michael Winger, a league source told The Athletic on Monday.

Dawkins, 37, recently completed his third year as one of the Thunder’s two vice presidents of basketball operations and his 15th year overall with the organization. Dawkins’ title with the Wizards will be general manager, said the league source, who was granted anonymity because Dawkins’ forthcoming hire has not been announced yet.

In Washington, Dawkins will reunite with Winger, who on May 25 was named the president of Monumental Basketball, overseeing the Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and the G League’s Capital City Go-Go.

Winger and Dawkins worked together in Oklahoma City from 2010 until 2017, when Winger left Oklahoma City to join the Clippers as L.A.’s general manager.

One of Winger’s first priorities in his new role in Washington has been to hire a No. 2 executive, and Winger chose Dawkins.

When Winger left the Thunder, he knew Dawkins was an up-and-coming fast riser who only needed an opportunity to blossom and grow on his own. After Winger’s departure, and after Oklahoma City’s then-vice president/general manager Troy Weaver left the franchise to become the Detroit Pistons’ general manager, the field was cleared for Dawkins to assume greater responsibilities with the Thunder.

For the last three years, Dawkins was one of Oklahoma City’s two vice presidents of basketball operations, alongside Rob Hennigan.

The Thunder’s methodical rebuild that started by trading Paul George to the Clippers in 2019 and Chris Paul to the Suns in 2020 created a new timetable for Oklahoma City, one that Dawkins and executives working under Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti have executed quickly and efficiently.

Oklahoma City took its lumps in the won-loss column from 2020-22, but now have one of the league’s most promising young cores, led by 2022-23 All-NBA First Team selection Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rising third-year forward Josh Giddey, two-way wing Luguentz Dort and 2022-23 All-Rookie First Team guard Jalen Williams, a steal with the 12th pick in last year’s draft.

The Thunder will also get uber-promising big man Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick last year, back after he missed the entire 2022-23 season rehabbing a Lisfranc injury.

Last week, Winger hired former Atlanta Hawks head of basketball operations Travis Schlenk to become the Wizards’ senior vice president of player personnel.

Dawkins will get a wide runway in overseeing basketball operations in D.C. The Wizards won’t hit the ground running, as only a little more than two weeks remain before the 2023 NBA Draft on June 22.

Washington vice president of college personnel Frank Ross has been leading the Wizards’ preparations for the draft. Ross, vice president of pro personnel Johnny Rogers and Dawkins all worked in Oklahoma City during Winger’s tenure there, so there is significant familiarity with each other that could help alleviate the growing pains of the new organizational structure.

[NatP4]

Presti is obviously the genius behind the drafting in OKC. Cho, Hennigan, and Weaver have all been absolutely terrible since leaving. Winger has been a mixed bag. Dawkins is no lock to be a good GM. I’m hopeful.

[nate33]

Presti is obviously the genius behind the drafting in OKC. Cho, Hennigan, and Weaver have all been absolutely terrible since leaving. Winger has been a mixed bag. Dawkins is no lock to be a good GM. I’m hopeful.

LOL. Funny how this is overlooked.

Cho has indeed been horrible. just comically bad.
In 2011, he drafted Kemba at #9 when Klay (#11) and Kawhi (#15) were on the board.
In 2012, he took MKG over Beal at #2.
In 2013, he took Zeller, which was fine in a terrible draft (next 5 picks were Len, Noel, McLemore, KCP and Burke).
In 2014, he took Vonleh at #9 in another weak draft (next 5 picks were Elfrid Payton, McDermott, Saric, LaVine and TJ Warren)
In 2015, he took Kaminsky at #9 when Myles Turner (#11) and Booker (#13) were on the board.
In 2016, he took Malachi Richardson at #22. A bust. Nobody good was picked in this range though until Siakam at #27
In 2017, he took Malik Monk at #11 with Donavan Mitchell (#13) and Bam Adebayo (#14) on the board.

Hennigan's draft record was so-so (no egregious misses, at least), but he made some horrible trades.
In 2012, he took Andrew Nicholson at #19 but no other useful players were drafted in the first round. He also broke up the Magic, sending Dwight and Jason Richardson away for picks.
In 2013, he took Oladipo at #2, which was the right pick but he was traded away in 2016 just before he broke out.
In 2014, he took Aaron Gordon at #4 which was fine (next 5 picks were Exum, Smart, Randle, Sauskas and Vonleh). He then traded the #12 pick (Saric) plus a future 2018 pick for Elfrid Payton. There was nobody good available at #12, so it wasn't a terrible sacrifice, but going so hard for Elfrid Payton proved to be a bad move.
In 2015, he drafted Hezonja, but the next 5 picks were WCS, Mudiay, Stanley Johnson, Frank Kaminsky and Winslow so it was forgivable.
In 2016, he made a brilliant pick drafting Sabonis, but he did so presumably at the behest of OKC because Sabonis was then traded along with Oladipo for Serge Ibaka! OMG WTF? LOL!

I'd say Weaver's performance is to be determined. It'll depend on how some guys develop.
In 2020, he took Killian Hayes at #7. The next 3 picks were Toppin, Avdija and Jalen Smith, but after that was Vassell and Haliburton. So that's looking pretty bad. He also traded a future protected first for Isaiah Stewart, which is looking like a pretty good deal. He also traded a bunch of 2nd rounders for Saddiq Bey who he ultimately flipped for James Wiseman this year. We will see how that turns out.
In 2021, he drafted Cade over Green and Mobley. Mobley is looking like the best of that trio, but the jury is still out with Cade so I won't judge him yet. I seriously doubt any GM would have had the stones to go against consensus and take anyone but Cade.
In 2022, he drafted Ivey over Mathurin, Sharpe and Daniels. We will see how that pans out. At the moment, I won't fault him for gambling on the upside of Ivey.

I suppose we can hope that it was Presti and Dawkins who were the brains of the operation.

[FAH1223]

Presti is obviously the genius behind the drafting in OKC. Cho, Hennigan, and Weaver have all been absolutely terrible since leaving. Winger has been a mixed bag. Dawkins is no lock to be a good GM. I’m hopeful.

Oh of course this could all go to hell.

It’s the Wizards.


I think Weaver is credited for pushing for Westbrook in 2008.

[nate33]

I think Weaver is credited for pushing for Westbrook in 2008.

That tracks. Looking at his record in Detroit, he clearly favors the high upside athletic guys over the fundamentally sound high-floor low-ceiling guys. He took Cunningham over Mobley, Ivey over Mathurin/Daniels and Hayes over Avdija/Haliburton. And he just made an upside-gamble trade for Wiseman.

[pcbothwel]

Presti is obviously the genius behind the drafting in OKC. Cho, Hennigan, and Weaver have all been absolutely terrible since leaving. Winger has been a mixed bag. Dawkins is no lock to be a good GM. I’m hopeful.

Its not about Winger or Dawkins. To me, its about Winger AND Schlenk AND Dawkins. Get a number of smart guys in the same room and I think the cream rises to the top in terms of decision making.

[doclinkin]

Presti is obviously the genius behind the drafting in OKC. Cho, Hennigan, and Weaver have all been absolutely terrible since leaving. Winger has been a mixed bag. Dawkins is no lock to be a good GM. I’m hopeful.

Its not about Winger or Dawkins. To me, its about Winger AND Schlenk AND Dawkins. Get a number of smart guys in the same room and I think the cream rises to the top in terms of decision making.

I also like that each is playing to their strengths, basically.

Folks acknowledge Winger to be a sharp dealer with a big picture mind on the business side of things. Cap maestro. Negotiator. Long view.

Dawkins seems like a well liked guy who has contacts and friends all over the league. A guy who wouldn't mind being on the phone all day talking to other front offices looking for opportunities and upgrades.

Schlenk seems like he got burned dealing with that aspect of the job, managing people, and wants instead to just concentrate on the purest aspect of the game: who can play. Who is good. How can we assemble a team out of individual talents.

Seems to me a decent mix, an opportunity for each of them to shape a new direction, and fully concentrate on the part of the job they do well. Or well enough to not totally suck anyway. Each of them comes from a generally winning organization, even if each are presumably all hungry for a Championship.

[FAH1223]

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[NatP4]

Not completely sold on Dawkins just yet. Think the draft will be very revealing.

Answer on Beal was a bit concerning, of course, can’t read too much into any of these interviews. Tons of non-answers

[doclinkin]

Answer on Beal was a bit concerning

Not to me. Especially for a guy who has been on the job for one day. He hasn't spoken with any of the players or their representatives to get a feel for the locker room. Upside. Future. But mostly there is no point firing a shot across the bow as soon as his plane landed.

Beal has a No Trade clause. Antagonizing a player under contract by speculating on his future trade possibilities etc only serves to drive down his asking price. If teams know you are actively shopping him, they have the leverage. His price drops even further if he publicly dictates the one or two places he'd like to be traded. Also, he was injured. It makes sense to trade him only mid-season unless you get a really strong offer that forces you to discuss it. You want to rehab his value with a string of good play if possible, then potentially talk with him about the trades being offered once he is on the radar of teams who could use his skillset.

Dawkins comes off as personable and thoughtful and diplomatic. Tommy/Ted hamstrung the franchise by saying they absolutely would match any offer for Beal, etc. And then doing so. It was headed that way with KP and Kuz. Now by saying the choice is up to them, you give the franchise back some measure of control, paradoxically, instead of looking like you are desperately chasing them and willing to overpay to keep a team together that hasn't done jack.

[NatP4]

Why would he antagonize Beal?

[FAH1223]

Answer on Beal was a bit concerning

Not to me. Especially for a guy who has been on the job for one day. He hasn't spoken with any of the players or their representatives to get a feel for the locker room. Upside. Future. But mostly there is no point firing a shot across the bow as soon as his plane landed.

Beal has a No Trade clause. Antagonizing a player under contract by speculating on his future trade possibilities etc only serves to drive down his asking price. If teams know you are actively shopping him, they have the leverage. His price drops even further if he publicly dictates the one or two places he'd like to be traded. Also, he was injured. It makes sense to trade him only mid-season unless you get a really strong offer that forces you to discuss it. You want to rehab his value with a string of good play if possible, then potentially talk with him about the trades being offered once he is on the radar of teams who could use his skillset.

Dawkins comes off as personable and thoughtful and diplomatic. Tommy/Ted hamstrung the franchise by saying they absolutely would match any offer for Beal, etc. And then doing so. It was headed that way with KP and Kuz. Now by saying the choice is up to them, you give the franchise back some measure of control, paradoxically, instead of looking like you are desperately chasing them and willing to overpay to keep a team together that hasn't done jack.

Beal is also at the facility every day.

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So they ain't going to say they're trading this dude right now without even getting to know him.

The fireworks will probably happen next summer.

[pcbothwel]

Beal is also at the facility every day.

Read on Twitter

So they ain't going to say they're trading this dude right now without even getting to know him.

The fireworks will probably happen next summer.

The problem with next summer is that Beal is good enough to cost us at least 3-4 draft spots. Not to mention we run into the same issue as this summer. Matching salaries.
Not many teams have the filler salary in the summer and lowers his market value. At the deadline guys that were signed in the summer can be grouped together to get in the $40M+ range.

[FAH1223]

Beal is also at the facility every day.

Read on Twitter

So they ain't going to say they're trading this dude right now without even getting to know him.

The fireworks will probably happen next summer.

The problem with next summer is that Beal is good enough to cost us at least 3-4 draft spots. Not to mention we run into the same issue as this summer. Matching salaries.
Not many teams have the filler salary in the summer and lowers his market value. At the deadline guys that were signed in the summer can be grouped together to get in the $40M+ range.

Yeah, the deadline might be realistic. We'll see.

[payitforward]

Answer on Beal was a bit concerning

Not to me. Especially for a guy who has been on the job for one day. He hasn't spoken with any of the players or their representatives to get a feel for the locker room. Upside. Future. But mostly there is no point firing a shot across the bow as soon as his plane landed.

Beal has a No Trade clause. Antagonizing a player under contract by speculating on his future trade possibilities etc only serves to drive down his asking price. If teams know you are actively shopping him, they have the leverage. His price drops even further if he publicly dictates the one or two places he'd like to be traded. Also, he was injured. It makes sense to trade him only mid-season unless you get a really strong offer that forces you to discuss it. You want to rehab his value with a string of good play if possible, then potentially talk with him about the trades being offered once he is on the radar of teams who could use his skillset.

Dawkins comes off as personable and thoughtful and diplomatic. Tommy/Ted hamstrung the franchise by saying they absolutely would match any offer for Beal, etc. And then doing so. It was headed that way with KP and Kuz. Now by saying the choice is up to them, you give the franchise back some measure of control, paradoxically, instead of looking like you are desperately chasing them and willing to overpay to keep a team together that hasn't done jack.

Agree, doc -- his answer on Beal was just exactly right. Especially if you already plan to trade him!

[nate33]

Beal is also at the facility every day.

So they ain't going to say they're trading this dude right now without even getting to know him.

The fireworks will probably happen next summer.

The problem with next summer is that Beal is good enough to cost us at least 3-4 draft spots. Not to mention we run into the same issue as this summer. Matching salaries.
Not many teams have the filler salary in the summer and lowers his market value. At the deadline guys that were signed in the summer can be grouped together to get in the $40M+ range.

Yeah, the deadline might be realistic. We'll see.

December 15th is more realistic - the day that summer free agent signings are eligible to be traded.

[FAH1223]

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[Rafael122]

Look, I have no idea if Shep himself went to things like the UUA or the Peach Tree tournaments, or if he sent his scouts there but the fact that Dawkins was there really impressed me. Like, this dude is already scouting the 2025 and on NBA Drafts.