Former Washington Wizards GM and enemy of the people Ernie Grunfeld was fired on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. In the immediate aftermath, team owner Ted Leonsis assured fans that the search for Grunfeld’s replacement would be deliberate, with goals and direction clearly defined. They even brought in Mike Forde, CEO of Sportsology and former senior manager of Chelsea F.C. to help change the organizational culture and assist in the GM search.
At the time of Grunfeld’s dismissal, Leonsis planned to take three weeks to talk to the basketball operations staff before making any decisions, per the Washington Post’s Candace Buckner.