Wizards Hire Former Browns GM Sashi Brown as Chief Planning and Operations Officer

Brown previously served as general manager with the Cleveland Browns.

The Washington Wizards have hired former Browns general manager Sashi Brown as the team's new chief planning and operations officer, the Wizards announced on Monday.

According to a press release, Brown's appointment is part of the team's effort to restructure and expand its front office. In addition to officially naming Tommy Sheppard as their new general manager, the Wizards have also given John Thompson III and Daniel Medina prominent roles. Thompson will lead the team's athlete development and engagement department, while Medina will serve as chief of athlete care and performance.

Sashia Jones, who previously served as vice president of community relations, was also promoted to vice president of player engagement. Brett Greenberg, previously the Wizards' president of basketball analytics/salary cap management, was promoted to assistant general manager for strategy and analytics.

"We have formed a new leadership team with a forward-thinking structure to adapt to the ‘new NBA’ that requires every possible strategic advantage to compete and win," Wizards chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis said in the statement. "We are building a leadership brain trust with deep Wizards/NBA experience and with sports professionals from inside and outside the NBA to challenge our thinking and adapt to an ever-increasing competitive environment."

According to the release, Brown will "manage efforts relating to technology, finance, communications, security, research and player engagement."

Brown, 43, served as the lead counsel for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2005 to 2012. A Harvard Law and Hampton University graduate, Brown joined Cleveland in 2013 and was promoted to executive vice president of football operations for the Browns in 2016. He was fired on Dec. 7, 2017.

The Wizards finished the 2018 season 32–50.