2023 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker
With another regular season in the books, multiple teams around the NBA are making head coaching changes in advance of the 2023/24 campaign.
In the space below, we’ll provide regular updates on the head coaching searches for each club that has yet to give anyone the permanent title. Some of these searches could extend well into the offseason, so be sure to check back often for the latest updates.
You’ll be able to access this page anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site, or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu.
Updated 6-10-23 (7:49pm CT)
Active Searches
None
Completed Searches
Detroit Pistons
- New coach:
- Monty Williams (story)
- Previous coach:
- Dwane Casey (transitioning to front office)
- Other finalists:
- Also interviewed/considered:
- Other rumored candidates/targets:
- Bulls assistant Josh Longstaff (story)
- Former Celtics coach Ime Udoka (hired by Rockets)
The Pistons went just 121-263 (.315) in five years with Casey at the helm, but his transition to a front office role was framed as his decision rather than the team’s. Casey, 66 in April, may prefer a less hands-on position as he nears retirement age.
Following Casey’s move to an executive role, the Pistons reportedly narrowed their coaching search to Ollie, Collins, and Lee, then didn’t make a decision for weeks. During that time, Williams was let go by the Suns and it became clear that he immediately moved to the top of Detroit’s wish list, supplanting the other three finalists.
Williams rebuffed the Pistons’ initial advances, indicating that he planned to take a year off, but he ultimately relented and agreed to a record-setting six-year, $78.5MM contract to become the Pistons’ new head coach.
After Casey guided the Pistons through the most challenging years of their rebuild, Williams will be tasked with turning the roster from a collection of promising young pieces into a team capable of making it back to the postseason.
Houston Rockets
- New coach:
- Ime Udoka (story)
- Previous coach:
- Stephen Silas (team option declined)
- Also interviewed/considered:
- Other rumored candidates/targets:
Silas signed up to coach a team led by veteran stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook, but both players were gone 10 games into his first season in Houston. The first-time head coach ended up presiding over a full-scale rebuild — no NBA team posted a worse record during Silas’ three years with the franchise than the Rockets’ 59-177 mark.
After some reports indicated that Houston would be seeking a more experienced candidate this time around, the Rockets seriously considered veteran head coaches like Vogel and Borrego before landing on Udoka, who led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first and only season as an NBA head coach in 2021/22.
Udoka’s tenure with Boston ended abruptly after he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate within the organization. The Rockets presumably did their due diligence on that incident and determined they were comfortable with hiring Udoka, whose on-court résumé is strong. He reportedly signed a four-year, $28.5MM contract and will be tasked with turning a raw Rockets team made up of promising young pieces into a more coherent whole capable of making the playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks
- New coach:
- Adrian Griffin (story)
- Previous coach:
- Mike Budenholzer (dismissed)
- Other finalists:
- Also interviewed/considered:
- Former Hornets coach James Borrego (story)
- Bucks assistant Charles Lee (story)
- Trail Blazers assistant Scott Brooks (story)
- Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson (story)
- Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
- Suns assistant Kevin Young (story)
- University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson (story)
- Wizards assistant Joseph Blair (story)
- Paris Basketball coach Will Weaver (story)
- Former Lakers coach Frank Vogel (story)
- Other rumored candidates/targets:
The NBA is a “what have you done for me lately?” sort of league, so the fact that Budenholzer led the Bucks to a title in 2021 and to the NBA’s best regular season record in 2022/23 was essentially negated by the team’s embarrassing first-round playoff exit this spring. As a result, Milwaukee opted to move on from the veteran head coach, who still had two years left on his contract.
Following an extensive search, the Bucks narrowed their options to three finalists: Griffin, Atkinson, and Nurse. Two of those candidates had prior head coaching experience, but Milwaukee opted to hire the one that didn’t, landing on Griffin, a veteran assistant who has worked for five teams over the last 15 years. He’s reportedly receiving a multiyear deal worth about $4MM annually.
This Bucks roster, headed by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, still looks capable of contending for championships. The organization – including Antetokounmpo, who gave Griffin his endorsement – is rolling the dice on a first-time NBA head coach helping the team once again reach those heights.
Philadelphia 76ers
- New coach:
- Nick Nurse (story)
- Previous coach:
- Doc Rivers (dismissed)
- Doc Rivers (dismissed)
- Also interviewed/considered:
- Former Lakers coach Frank Vogel (story)
- Other rumored candidates/targets:
The Sixers posted an impressive 154-82 (.653) regular season record during Rivers’ three years in Philadelphia, but the team’s inability to make a deep playoff run reflected poorly on the veteran coach, who had similar issues in Los Angeles with the Clippers. The 76ers were eliminated in the second round in three consecutive years, losing home games to end their season in 2021 and 2022 and then getting blown out in a Game 7 in 2023.
With Joel Embiid locked up for years to come, the Sixers have a franchise player to build around, but they could make some significant changes around Embiid this offseason, with James Harden a candidate to depart in free agency and Tobias Harris likely to end up back on the trade block.
Nurse, who led the division-rival Raptors to a championship in his first year as head coach in 2018/19, will be tasked with getting Embiid to the conference finals (at least) for the first time in his career. Nurse was reportedly a finalist for the head coaching jobs in Milwaukee and Phoenix before agreeing to join the Sixers.
Phoenix Suns
- New coach:
- Frank Vogel (story)
- Previous coach:
- Monty Williams (dismissed)
- Monty Williams (dismissed)
- Other finalists:
- Former Sixers coach Doc Rivers (story)
- Suns assistant Kevin Young (story)
- Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez (story)
- Former Raptors coach Nick Nurse (hired by Sixers)
- Also interviewed/considered:
- Other rumored candidates/targets:
- Clippers coach Tyronn Lue (story)
Williams helped reshape the culture in Phoenix over the last several seasons, leading the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021 and earning Coach of the Year honors in 2022. However, after suffering embarrassing blowout home losses to end their playoff runs in both 2022 and 2023, the Suns decided to make a change.
Phoenix initially narrowed its search to five finalists before choosing Vogel, who has won a title and will be coaching his fourth NBA team. Given his experience and his résumé, Vogel should command the respect of veteran stars like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker as he tries to get the team over the hump in 2023/24 and beyond.
Vogel’s deal with the Suns will reportedly be worth $31MM over five years.
Toronto Raptors
- New coach:
- Darko Rajakovic (story)
- Previous coach:
- Nick Nurse (dismissed)
- Other finalists:
- Also interviewed/considered:
- Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez (story)
- Suns assistant Kevin Young (story)
- Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson (story)
- Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
- Nuggets assistant David Adelman (story)
- ESPN analyst JJ Redick (story)
- Former Nets coach Steve Nash (story)
- Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin (hired by Bucks)
- Other rumored candidates/targets:
- Barcelona coach Sarunas Jasikevicius (story)
- Suns assistant Patrick Mutombo (story)
- Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse (story)
- Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon (story)
- Former Suns coach Monty Williams (hired by Pistons)
- Former Celtics coach Ime Udoka (hired by Rockets)
Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on March 31 that he would take some time after the season to evaluate his future. The Raptors took the same approach and eventually announced nine days after their season ended that they were relieving Nurse of his duties.
Toronto exercised extreme patience with its head coaching search and was the last team to make a decision this spring — word of Nurse’s dismissal broke on April 21, while Rajakovic was reported as the team’s choice of replacement on June 10, over a month-and-a-half later.
Nurse won a championship and a Coach of the Year award in separate seasons during his five-year stint as the Raptors’ head coach, so Rajakovic has big shoes to fill as a first-time NBA head coach. His résumé includes head coaching stints in Europe and in the G League, along with a decade as an NBA assistant, so he certainly seems qualified for his new role.
Western Notes: Ishbia, Morant, Nuggets, Russell
Approximately 17 months after an ESPN report painted a detailed picture of a toxic workplace environment in Phoenix under Suns owner Robert Sarver and just over two months after Sarver completed the sale of the team to Mat Ishbia, Ishbia’s own company – United Wholesale Mortgage – is facing allegations along similar lines.
According to Polly Mosendz and Caleb Melby of Bloomberg, conversations with more than two dozen people who have worked at the company revealed complaints about racial disparities, sexual harassment, and bullying by managers at United Wholesale Mortgage.
While the troubling allegations may feel like déjà vu for Suns fans, it’s important to clarify that Ishbia himself wasn’t accused of any wrongdoing like Sarver was and that these allegations aren’t related to the NBA franchise at all.
For what it’s worth, United Wholesale Mortgage issued a statement to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic insisting that Bloomberg’s portrayal of the company’s workplace is “false and misleading” and referring to the report as having portrayed a “sensationalized caricature” of UWM.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Grizzlies star Ja Morant has filed a countersuit against the teenager he punched during a pickup game last summer, arguing that false statements by the teen could cost him an All-NBA berth and his chance at a super-max payday, reports Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. The teen’s initial lawsuit named Morant as the instigator of the incident and said that the Grizzlies guard went into his home and came back with a gun tucked into his pants, both claims that Morant denies. Regardless of whether those allegations are true or false, Morant’s suit makes a dubious argument, since the eight-game suspension that may cost him an All-NBA spot (and upwards of $39MM) was the result of a separate gun-related incident.
- As the No. 1 seed in in a year without an obvious favorite to come out of the West, there will be significant pressure on head coach Michael Malone and the Nuggets to make a deep playoff run, writes Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post (subscription required). Malone doesn’t necessarily disagree with Kiszla’s argument, but says he won’t be influenced by the expectations that outsiders have for his team. “We as an organization put pressure on ourselves to win a championship. That’s what motivates us. That’s the pressure,” Malone said. “The external pressure? Fans, bloggers, this, that, I could give a (bleep). It’s about what I put on myself.”
- D’Angelo Russell didn’t make the postseason during his first stint with the Lakers, so after rejoining the team at the February trade deadline, he’s excited to make his playoff debut for Los Angeles — even after a forgettable play-in performance in which he made 1-of-9 shots and was benched down the stretch. “We needed to win, honestly. We needed to win,” Russell said of Tuesday’s play-in game, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “For me to dwell on it and be upset or confidence low, I don’t think that’s the right approach. Definitely want to do anything and everything I can do to not be in that position in the future.”
Poll: Who Should Win 2022/23 NBA Awards?
The NBA announced the 2022/23 finalists for its seven major awards on Friday, revealing the top three vote-getters for Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man of the Year, Coach of the Year, and the newly added Clutch Player of the Year.
Some of these awards have felt like foregone conclusions for a while, but some results could be genuine surprises when they’re revealed beginning this week.
Today though, we’re not focusing on which players will win the awards, but the ones you believe should win them. Select your winners for this year’s major NBA awards in the seven polls below, then head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts.
Our polls only include the three finalists in each category, but if you think someone else deserves to win one of these awards, be sure to use the comment section to “write in” that pick and explain your reasoning.
Who should win Most Valuable Player?
-
Joel Embiid (Sixers) 48% (628)
-
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) 28% (366)
-
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) 24% (313)
Total votes: 1,307
Who should win Defensive Player of the Year?
-
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies) 50% (605)
-
Brook Lopez (Bucks) 36% (435)
-
Evan Mobley (Cavaliers) 14% (175)
Total votes: 1,215
Who should win Rookie of the Year?
-
Paolo Banchero (Magic) 76% (915)
-
Walker Kessler (Jazz) 13% (151)
-
Jalen Williams (Thunder) 11% (132)
Total votes: 1,198
Who should win Most Improved Player?
-
Lauri Markkanen (Jazz) 47% (581)
-
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) 33% (409)
-
Jalen Brunson (Knicks) 20% (252)
Total votes: 1,242
Who should win Sixth Man of the Year?
-
Malcolm Brogdon (Celtics) 47% (567)
-
Bobby Portis (Bucks) 27% (329)
-
Immanuel Quickley (Knicks) 26% (317)
Total votes: 1,213
Who should win Coach of the Year?
-
Mike Brown (Kings) 83% (1,010)
-
Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) 9% (115)
-
Mark Daigneault (Thunder) 7% (90)
Total votes: 1,215
Who should win Clutch Player of the Year?
-
De'Aaron Fox (Kings) 70% (810)
-
Jimmy Butler (Heat) 17% (197)
-
DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) 13% (145)
Total votes: 1,152
Knicks Notes: Game 1, Randle, Hart, D. Rose
The Knicks classified Julius Randle as a game-time decision on Saturday, but the star forward suited up and showed no ill effects of the ankle sprain that had sidelined him since March 29. Randle’s availability didn’t come as a surprise to him, since he believed that he was making good progress with the ankle in the days leading up to the playoffs.
“Every day I got like significantly better,” Randle said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “So I felt by the time Saturday got here I would be fine.”
Randle didn’t just make a cameo appearance. He started for the Knicks and logged almost 34 minutes, racking up 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in New York’s 101-97 Game 1 win over Cleveland, prompting head coach Tom Thibodeau to express appreciation after the game for the 28-year-old’s effort.
“Dependability is a big part of the league,” Thibodeau said. “And to be able to count on each other is important so we don’t want anyone out there who’s injured. We don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way, but if you can give us something, give us what you have and that’s what I’m proud of Julius for. He gave us what he had.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Acquired from Portland prior to the 2023 trade deadline, six-year veteran Josh Hart got the chance on Saturday to play in his first career playoff game. He looked right at home in the high-pressure environment, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, as Zach Braziller of The New York Post details. “Unreal, that’s what he does,” teammate Jalen Brunson said. “I said it after the game: It doesn’t matter if it’s pickup, preseason, playoffs, he plays that way every single time. That’s just how he is, that’s how he’s wired. He’s big time.” The Cavaliers were one of the teams said to have interest in Hart in early February.
- Veteran point guard Derrick Rose has only placed once for the Knicks since the calendar flipped to 2023, but Quentin Grimes referred to the former MVP as a “key factor” in the locker room for the team entering the postseason, according to Peter Botte of The New York Post. “He’s been great. I feel like the past week and a half or so, he’s been a little more vocal,” Grimes said on Thursday. “I think he kind of feels the excitement coming back, the playoffs coming around.”
- As good as the Knicks have been this season, they’re still one star player away from being a legitimate championship threat, argues Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News.
Pacific Notes: Paul, Thompson, Davis, Hyland
A championship is the only thing missing from Chris Paul‘s Hall of Fame résumé, but the Suns guard may be running out of time to get one, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. Paul will turn 38 next month, and his contract for 2023/24 is only 50% guaranteed at $15.4MM. The acquisition of Kevin Durant in February puts Phoenix among the favorites in the West, but there’s a chance this could be Paul’s last year with the team.
The veteran point guard said Saturday that he’s trying to block out those concerns, focusing only on the playoff challenges that lie ahead.
“For me, I’m going to compete day-in and day-out. And right now we got a one-track mind, and that’s to focus on Game 1 against the Clippers,’’ he said. “All that other stuff, that ain’t it right now.”
Paul addressed the championship issue after the Suns were eliminated last spring, Haller adds, saying that it bothered him more earlier in his career but now he feels fortunate to be able to play at a high level for so long. However, now that playoff season is here again, he’s ready to go all out.
“When you play for a while and it doesn’t go the way you want it to, you basically wait a whole year for another opportunity at it,’’ he said. “It starts now.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Klay Thompson “has an expectation” that the Warriors will offer him a max-level contract extension this summer, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Saturday’s “NBA Countdown” (video link). Thompson has one more year on his current deal at $43.2 MM and can become a free agent in 2024 if he doesn’t get an offer that he likes. Wojnarowski notes that the extension decision for Thompson will be influenced by luxury tax concerns, the uncertain status of general manager Bob Myers, whose contract will expire after this season, and punitive restrictions in the new CBA against the highest-spending teams.
- The seventh-seeded Lakers had to go through the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs, but they don’t feel like underdogs against No. 2 seed Memphis, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. is playing its best basketball of the season, winning 10 of its last 12 games. “I think seeding doesn’t matter,” Anthony Davis said. “Once you get in, it’s all about matchups and things like that.”
- Trade deadline acquisition Bones Hyland could be a difference maker for the Clippers in their playoff run, according to Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. The second-year guard averaged 12.8 points and 4.3 assists off the bench in his last nine games to help the team wrap up the fifth seed. “He’s not scared and that’s the first step in being a good player is just not being scared, not being afraid of the moment,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “He’s not afraid of the moment. He’s not afraid of the big shots.”
Atlantic Notes: J. Brown, Hauser, Bridges, Reed
It wasn’t obvious to anyone who watched him post 29 points and 12 rebounds in the Celtics‘ series-opening win Saturday, but Jaylen Brown was having trouble gripping the ball because of a cut that reopened on his right hand, writes Coley Harvey of ESPN. Brown originally suffered the cut while watering his plants last week and had to get five stitches. He wasn’t able to practice until Thursday and is still experimenting with the best way to protect the hand while he’s playing.
“It’s a constant adjustment, making sure I have a good grip on the ball,” Brown said, although he told reporters that he doesn’t expect the injury to bother him throughout the entire series.
Brown started Saturday’s game with padding over the cut, but it seemed to distract him, according to Harvey. He went to the locker room after checking out in the first quarter and returned with a new bandage that appeared to be more comfortable.
“There’s not a lot of padding on it, so it’s just a different feel shooting the ball,” Brown said. “(The pain) is fine. Especially with the adrenaline of the game, you kind of just get going.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sam Hauser moved ahead of Grant Williams in the Celtics‘ Game 1 rotation, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. Williams has been struggling with his shot lately, Robb adds, while Hauser played well against the Hawks in the regular season, so the move was a way to put more pressure on Atlanta’s defense. Robb adds that Boston will need Williams against bigger teams later in the playoffs, but the Hawks don’t have anyone capable of exploiting Hauser’s defensive shortcomings.
- Suns coach Monty Williams is glad to see Mikal Bridges blossoming into a star with the Nets, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Bridges has averaged 26.1 PPG since being sent to Brooklyn in February as part of the Kevin Durant trade. He scored 30 points in Saturday’s loss to the Sixers, one short of his career playoff high. “Mikal is shooting the ball a lot and making a lot,” Williams said. “I’m happy for him. I see him balling. That’s what I see. You know how it works. If we’re not playing him, I want him to succeed. I love him and (Cameron Johnson) like family. Those boys have been balling since they got to Brooklyn.”
- The Sixers got a lift from their “energy guys” in the win over Brooklyn, observes Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed both delivered big games as Philadelphia pulled away. “Five for six, a couple dunks, a couple rebounds, a couple steals,” Reed said. “That’s what Paul Reed does.”
Pelicans Notes: McCollum, Zion, Daniels, Pannone
During an appearance on “Stephen A.’s World” Saturday afternoon (video link), CJ McCollum cited public “misconceptions” over how Zion Williamson is viewed by his teammates and Pelicans management. McCollum said the entire organization remains supportive of Williamson and wants him to find a way to stay healthy so he can get the most out of his talents.
Injuries limited Williamson to 29 games this season, marking the third time in four years that he has failed to reach 30. He played at an All-Star level when he was available, averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 60.8% from the field, but a hamstring injury he suffered in early January kept him sidelined for the rest of the season.
“The moral of the story is we all want him out there on the court,” McCollum said. “We all understand the importance of the gravity he has, we understand the importance of the greatness that he possesses — and me personally, I want him to maximize that. I want him to maximize his talent, I want him to maximize his window, our window as a team, our window as an organization.”
Executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin addressed the same topic on Friday, telling reporters, including Andrew Lopez of ESPN, that the team will work to increase Williamson’s availability, but he has a role to play as well.
I think a big part is on him,” Griffin said. “I think there is a lot he can do better. And he would, I think, tell you that. I think we need to do a better job examining the whole situation top to bottom a little bit better. I think putting him in the best position to succeed is important. And I think his participation is a big part of that.”
There’s more from New Orleans:
- McCollum, who will have surgery on his right thumb next week, wrote in his Andscape diary that “this was the most difficult season I’ve been a part of physically and mentally.” He cites the constant injuries that surrounded the team and “the roller coaster of emotions” that involved the fast start, followed by a 10-game losing streak and then rebounding to qualify for the play-in tournament.
- Dyson Daniels plans to spend a lot of the offseason in New Orleans to work on his game, tweets William Guillory of The Athletic. The Australian rookie also expects to be part of the Pelicans’ Summer League team.
- Assistant coach Ryan Pannone will join Nate Oats’ staff at the University of Alabama, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Pannone, a former G League coach, spent one year on New Orleans’ staff under Willie Green.
Bucks Notes: Middleton, Budenholzer, Lee, Playoff Series
Khris Middleton is confident that he’ll be available for his regular role when the Bucks open their playoff series on Sunday, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Middleton hasn’t played since he aggravated his sore right knee April 5, but he was able to participate in his second full practice Saturday.
“It took about two days to kind of get it to go away and get back to being myself,” he said. “Doing a little bit more rehab this past couple days. The long break I think has been great for everybody to freshen up and that’s exactly what I tried to do, take advantage of this time to get my body right.”
It has been an injury-plagued season for Middleton, who was only on the court for 33 games. Owczarski points out that he had his most productive stretch after being inserted back into the starting lineup March 7 following a bout with knee pain. In the 11 games since then, Middleton averaged 19.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting 47% from the field.
“Playing those minutes, being in the starting lineup, playing with a lot of those main guys out there, I felt like I’d been doing it for years,” he said. “I’d been saying it, my body was feeling great for a while up to that point so it wasn’t a huge a confidence reach. It was a little bit to say, OK, yeah, I could still do this, but I felt more like myself again in that role and in those minutes.”
There’s more from Milwaukee:
- Mike Budenholzer offered a ringing endorsement for assistant Charles Lee, who is among the candidates for the Pistons‘ head coaching position, Owczarski adds. Lee began working under Budenholzer with the Hawks in 2014 and followed him to Milwaukee four years later. “Charles Lee is, I think, one of the top guys in our league,” Budenholzer said. “… He’s great as the associate head coach. He’s great as somebody the players the trust, the players believe in, the players follow his lead. I trust him to the nth degree.”
- The Bucks will enter their playoff series with a huge rest advantage over the Heat, who had to go through two play-in games, observes Steve Megargee of The Associated Press. Most of Milwaukee’s regulars haven’t played since they clinched the No. 1 seed on April 5. “It’s kind of tricky because you might go and play the first game and you’re rusty,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. … “You might play the first game and you have so much energy and play great basketball. We’ll see.”
- Eric Nehm of The Athletic examines the matchups in the series and speculates on how Budenholzer will handle his rotation with the starters expected to see expanded playing time.
Bulls Notes: Offseason, Vucevic, White, Ball, LaVine, DeRozan, Beverley
The Bulls have no plans to rebuild after a disappointing 40-42 season and an exit in the play-in tournament, vice president Arturas Karnisovas told reporters, including Jamal Collier of ESPN, at an end-of-season press conference Saturday. Karnisovas said management will use the offseason to search for ways to build on the team’s 14-9 performance after the All-Star break.
“That’s been thrown around all this season,” he said. “Blow up, rebuild. It’s not on our minds. We changed our minds in the 2021 season to focus on winning, and try to build a sustainable program here — I think that’s where we’re focused right now. How we can help this group and how we can improve from this year.”
Karnisovas indicated that the Bulls will focus on trying to re-sign as many of their free agents as possible. He mentioned starting center Nikola Vucevic, who will be unrestricted this summer, and said the team “absolutely” wants to keep reserve guard Coby White, who can be made a restricted free agent with a $7.7MM qualifying offer.
Vucevic also spoke with reporters, saying he has enjoyed his two and a half seasons in Chicago.
“The Bulls will have priority,” Vucevic said of his free agency plans. “I’d like to stay here. But that’s on the front office to decide and work with my agent.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Karnisovas wasn’t able to offer an update on Lonzo Ball, who underwent his third knee surgery last month, Collier adds. Karnisovas declined to comment when he was asked if the Bulls plan to seek salary relief from the league for the $43MM remaining on Ball’s contract. “I have confidence that he’s going to come back,” he said. “In terms of timeline, I don’t have that timeline right now because he just had his procedure.” The team could only be approved for salary relief if Ball’s health issues are considered likely to be career-ending.
- Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan believe they can become an even better combination with a healthy start to next season, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. DeRozan points out that injuries have been been disruptive throughout their two seasons together. “We haven’t even scratched the surface,” he said. “Last year, with him being hurt and me carrying so much of the load and this year him coming off his surgery, I know early on in the season he was frustrated just trying to find his rhythm. I kept being in his ear telling him, ‘It’s gonna come. You got to get your rhythm back. You haven’t played. You haven’t touched a ball.’ By the time he got healthy and got it rolling, I began to deal with my quad. So we haven’t been fully ourself and that’s the scary part about it.”
- Chicago has a decision to make on Patrick Beverley, who took over as the starting point guard after signing in February. Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype points out that the Bulls can offer Beverley a $3.2MM veteran’s minimum salary or $3.8MM with his Non-Bird rights. They would have to use part of their mid-level exception to exceed that figure, but Gozlan states that they may want to save the MLE to add another big man off the bench.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Lowry, Vincent, Strus, Lillard
The Heat didn’t need much offense from Bam Adebayo to get past the Bulls in Friday’s play-in game, but that’s likely to change in their series against the Bucks, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami eliminated Chicago even though Adebayo shot just 1-for-9 from the field and finished with eight points and four turnovers. He made up for it with 17 rebounds and a stellar defensive performance that included a late blocked shot to wrap up the victory.
“The reason I love Bam is even if you don’t make shots, you can affect the game in a lot of ways,” Jimmy Butler said. “That’s the definition of a star player, a superstar player. When you lock in on the defensive end, that’s the part that gets everybody excited.”
Jackson notes that Adebayo has seen a reduced role in the Heat’s offense over the past two months. After averaging 21.6 points per game before the All-Star break, he has fallen to 16.6 PPG since then. Miami is 11-5 this season when Adebayo scores at least 25 points, but that hasn’t happened since March 15.
“I’ve got to shoot my shots, pick my spot and live with the results,” he said. “I feel I had a big impact on that game (Friday) even though my shots weren’t falling.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Kyle Lowry left Friday’s game early in the fourth quarter after aggravating his sore left knee, but he doesn’t believe it’s a long-term concern, Jackson adds. “I’m good. Just a little tweak, little pressure on it,” Lowry said. “But I’m OK. All good. I’m ready to go on Sunday. If coach would have asked me to go back in the game, I would have gone back in the game.” Lowry is listed as questionable for Sunday’s series opener in Milwaukee, as is Gabe Vincent, who’s dealing with a right hip pointer.
- Max Strus scored 31 points in 36 minutes against the Bulls, but it might be hard to keep him on the court against a bigger Bucks team, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Winderman points out that the Heat were able to use a small-ball lineup Friday because Chicago didn’t start a traditional power forward, but it will be difficult for the 6’5″ Strus to defend either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brook Lopez. The matchup may require more minutes from Caleb Martin and Kevin Love.
- The Heat are ready to pursue another star player this summer, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (video link), who considers them a team to watch if Damian Lillard asks the Trail Blazers for a trade.