Players made it clear what they want. Now it’s up to the Washington Wizards to grant their wish.
But any discussion of a contract extension for Wizards coach Eddie Jordan will have to wait. Wizards General Manager Ernie Grunfeld said he will have discussions about an extension for Jordan, but not anytime soon, saying there’s no time frame to get a deal done.
Jordan, who just completed his third season, has one year left on his original contract.
“Eddie has done a terrific job,” Grunfeld said. “He’s taken us to the playoffs for two years. The players have improved. They fought hard every night. … All these issues will take care of themselves as the summer goes along. [But] we won’t have contract discussions out in the open.”
Grunfeld added a second time that he was pleased with the job Jordan did. The majority of players lobbied hard for an extension before leaving Monday.
“If he’s not here,” Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said, “I wouldn’t want to be here.”
Grunfeld said the top priority is improving the defense, hardly a surprise to anyone who’s watched the Wizards. He said he would like center Brendan Haywood to be more consistent, but was encouraged by his playoff performance.
“I’m not afraid to pull the trigger,” Grunfeld said, “[but] I like what we have under our roof.”
