General manager Will Dawkins already said Brian Keefe will return as head coach, but could the Washington Wizards lose an assistant coach?
Any speculation about what could happen with Brian Keefe this offseason was squashed on Thursday morning after general manager Will Dawkins confirmed he expects Keefe to return for a third season as head coach of the Washington Wizards in 2026-27. Yet whether the full coaching staff remains in tact is another question after The Athletic pointed to one current assistant as a potential candidate for other jobs this offseason.
Adam Caporn was one of over 20 coaches named as candidates to become first time NBA head coaches this hiring cycle.
Caporn, 44, has spent the last two seasons with the organization as an assistant after serving in the same role with the Brooklyn Nets.
His coaching career began in the college ranks where he served as an assistant at Saint Mary's for four seasons beginning in 2010, then coaching at the BA Centre of Excellence in Australia where he's become instrumental in the success of development within their league. That pedigree led Caporn to be named the head coach of the Australia men's basketball national team last season after previously serving as an assistant on the staff for a decade. Australia claimed a bronze medal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics before returning as an assistant for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Caporn also spent one season as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets G League Team, the Long Island Nets, in 2021-22 where he was once named G League Coach of the Month and led the team to its second playoff berth before being named an assistant on Brooklyn's staff for two seasons, eventually leading him to Washington.
Prior to his coaching career, Caporn also played four seasons at Saint Mary's where he played alongside other former NBA guards Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova.
Yet as an assistant in DC, Caporn has been viewed as instrumental for a pair of the Wizards recent first round picks with The Athletic pointing to both Alex Sarr and Will Riley as young stars he's worked with closely.
“We have this special young player with innate talents, and you’re trying to help him flourish in the context of winning basketball games with your team,” Caporn told The Athletic about Sarr during the season.
A possible departure would mark a notable blow given the Wizards are set to add another top-five draft pick to a roster littered with young talent, while Alex Sarr's sophomore rise working alongside Caporn proved to be one of the biggest individual development storylines of the 2025-26 regular season.