Ayrton Oneill
Will Dawkins is a basketball executive who was named the general manager of the Washington Wizards in 2023. Before joining the Wizards, Dawkins spent 15 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, most recently serving as the vice president of basketball operations. A graduate of Emerson College, where he played basketball and served as team captain, Dawkins began his front-office career as an intern with the Thunder and worked his way up to a variety of influential positions within the organisation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current Role | General Manager of the Washington Wizards |
| Previous Role | Vice President of Basketball Operations, Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Tenure with Thunder | 2010-2017 |
| Tenure with Wizards | 2023-present |
| College | Emerson College |
| College Basketball | Yes, captain of the men's basketball team |
| High School | High School of Commerce, Springfield, Massachusetts |
| High School Basketball | Yes, led team to 2004 Division I State Championship |
| Notable Trades | Bradley Beal for Chris Paul; Kristaps Porziņģis to Boston Celtics; Chris Paul to Golden State Warriors for Jordan Poole; Daniel Gafford to Dallas Mavericks for Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round draft pick |
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What You'll Learn
Washington Wizards GM
Will Dawkins is the general manager of the Washington Wizards, an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference.
Dawkins was named the Wizards' general manager on June 8, 2023, following Michael Winger's appointment as president of Monumental Basketball, which oversaw the Wizards. Dawkins and Winger had previously worked together with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2010 until 2017. Before joining the Thunder, Dawkins played basketball for four years at Emerson College.
Dawkins' appointment came at a time when the Wizards were transitioning into a rebuilding phase, having missed the playoffs four times in five years. One of his first moves was trading Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster deal that brought in Chris Paul, along with several first and second-round draft picks. Dawkins continued to revamp the roster, trading Kristaps Porziņģis to the Boston Celtics and sending Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jordan Poole.
On his first draft night, Dawkins acquired the draft rights to Bilal Coulibaly, the 7th overall pick, in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. The Wizards also drafted Tristan Vukčević and Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was later traded to the Golden State Warriors. Dawkins also traded veteran guard Monté Morris to the Detroit Pistons and made several other trades to reshape the Wizards' roster.
Dawkins has earned praise for his bold moves, with Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes commending him for his decision to trade Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a future first-round pick, the No. 14 pick in the 2024 draft, and veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon. This move signalled a commitment to the Wizards' rebuild and has been described as a "future-focused" deal.
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Oklahoma City Thunder VP
The Oklahoma City Thunder is an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder is the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues that is based in the state of Oklahoma. The team was originally established as the Seattle SuperSonics, an expansion team that joined the NBA for the 1967–68 season.
The Thunder's NBA G League affiliate is the Oklahoma City Blue, which it owns. The team plays its home games at Paycom Center. The Thunder qualified for their first playoff berth during the 2009–10 season and won their first division title the following season. They won their first Western Conference championship in the 2011–12 season, appearing in the NBA Finals for the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 1996 when the team was based in Seattle.
Will Dawkins, who previously played four years of basketball for Emerson College, was named the newest general manager of the Washington Wizards in June 2023. Dawkins previously worked with the Thunder from 2010 until 2017. During the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, Dawkins traded Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Richaud Holmes and a 2024 first-round draft pick via the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Emerson College player
Will Dawkins, an Emerson College alumnus, was named the Washington Wizards' general manager in 2023. He is the second Emersonian to manage an NBA team. Before joining the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dawkins played four years of basketball for Emerson College. He graduated in 2004 and gained an internship with Oklahoma City through his college connections.
Dawkins was a member of the 1,000 Point Club and helped lead the 2004 Commerce basketball team to the Western Massachusetts and state Division I titles. He played basketball for Springfield High School of Commerce and was enshrined in the Springfield Public Schools Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
After graduating from Emerson College, Dawkins spent 15 seasons working under Sam Presti '00, Executive President and GM for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He served as video coordinator and scouting coordinator before being promoted to director of college player personnel in October 2012. In this role, he was in charge of building the roster for the Thunder's NBA-Development League team, the Oklahoma City Blue.
Dawkins' first trade as GM of the Wizards was trading Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul, four first-round pick swaps, and six second-round draft picks. He also traded Kristaps Porziņģis to the Boston Celtics and re-routed Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jordan Poole. On draft night, he acquired the draft rights to Bilal Coulibaly, the 7th overall pick, in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. The Wizards ended the second-round drafting Tristan Vukčević with the 42nd overall pick and Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 57th overall pick. Dawkins traded Jackson-Davis to the Golden State Warriors for cash considerations and off-loaded veteran guard Monté Morris to the Detroit Pistons for a second-round pick.
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Wizards trades
On June 8, 2023, Will Dawkins was named the new general manager of the Washington Wizards. Dawkins played four years of basketball for Emerson College before joining the Oklahoma City Thunder. He previously worked with the Thunder from 2010 until 2017, when his colleague Michael Winger joined the Los Angeles Clippers.
Entering the 2023 NBA draft, the Wizards began transitioning into a rebuilding phase after missing the playoffs four times in five years. Dawkins' first trade was Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul, four first-round pick swaps, and six second-round draft picks. He then traded Kristaps Porziņģis to the Boston Celtics and sent Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jordan Poole. On draft night, Dawkins acquired the draft rights to Bilal Coulibaly, the 7th overall pick, in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. The Wizards ended the second-round drafting Tristan Vukčević and Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 42nd and 57th overall picks, respectively. Dawkins then traded Jackson-Davis to the Golden State Warriors for cash considerations. Before the season began, he traded veteran guard Monté Morris to the Detroit Pistons for a second-round pick.
On January 14, 2024, Dawkins traded Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to the Pistons in exchange for Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers, and two second-round draft picks. During the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, he traded Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round draft pick via the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Thunder front office
Will Dawkins, the former general manager of the Washington Wizards, played basketball for four years at Emerson College before joining the Oklahoma City Thunder front office in 2010. There, he worked alongside Michael Winger, who later became the president of Monumental Basketball overseeing the Wizards.
In 2023, the Wizards were in a rebuilding phase after missing the playoffs four times in five years. Dawkins was named the team's new general manager, tasked with reshaping the roster. His first significant move was trading Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul and multiple first and second-round draft picks. Dawkins continued to make bold moves, trading Kristaps Porziņģis to the Boston Celtics and then sending Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors for Jordan Poole.
During the 2023 NBA Draft, Dawkins acquired the draft rights to Bilal Coulibaly, the seventh overall pick, in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. He also drafted Tristan Vukčević and Trayce Jackson-Davis, later trading Jackson-Davis to the Golden State Warriors for cash considerations. Before the season started, Dawkins traded veteran guard Monté Morris to the Detroit Pistons for a second-round pick.
In January 2024, Dawkins orchestrated a deal with the Detroit Pistons, sending Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to Detroit in exchange for Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers, and two second-round draft picks. During the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, he traded Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks, receiving Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round draft pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder in return.
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Frequently asked questions
Will Dawkins is the general manager of the Washington Wizards.
Dawkins spent 15 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, most recently as vice president of basketball operations.
Will Dawkins played basketball for four years at Emerson College.
Dawkins acquired the draft rights to Bilal Coulibaly, the 7th overall pick, in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. He also drafted Tristan Vukčević and Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 42nd and 57th overall picks, respectively.
Will Dawkins and Michael Winger previously worked together with the Thunder from 2010 until 2017.
