Rondo, Hetzel, Ham Interview For Pelicans’ Coaching Job
5:44 pm: Ham also interviewed for the head coaching position last week, Rod Walker writes for NOLA.com.
12:34 pm: Hetzel has also been interviewed for the Pelicans’ head coaching job, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.
11:00 am: Rajon Rondo is among the candidates the Pelicans are considering as they look for their next head coach, with league sources telling Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that he has already interviewed for the position.
The former All-Star guard was hired in 2024 as a special assistant on Doc Rivers’ staff in Milwaukee. Fischer and Stein note that he first expressed interest in coaching when he was with Boston early in his career, and Brad Stevens brought Rondo into some staff meetings while he was recovering from a torn ACL. Rondo spent 16 seasons in the NBA before his career ended in 2022.
Fischer and Stein hear that the Pelicans have reached out to several candidates, including Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney, Bucks associate head coach Darvin Ham and Nets assistant Steve Hetzel. Ham has also been mentioned as a potential replacement for the Magic if they decide to fire Jamahl Mosley.
In addition, the Pelicans have requested permission to interview Pistons assistant Jarrett Jack, according to Fischer and Stein’s sources. Jack played in New Orleans for three seasons of his career and moved on to coaching after his retirement in 2021. He spent two years on the staff in Phoenix before being hired by Detroit.
James Borrego, who took over as the Pelicans’ interim coach when Willie Green was fired in mid-November, remains “very much under consideration” to get the job on a permanent basis, sources tell Fischer and Stein. Borrego, who joined the organization as associate head coach in 2024, guided the team to a 24-46 record after replacing Green.
And-Ones: D. Jones, Prediction Markets, 65-Game Rule, More
Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is expected to plead guilty to charges related to illegal betting, according to reports from Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic and Michael R. Sisak of The Associated Press.
Jones, one of nearly three-dozen people arrested in connection to a federal investigation into illegal sports gambling, was accused of profiting from a rigged poker game and of providing inside information to sports bettors. Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested and charged in the former case, while Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested and charged in the latter.
Jones, one of three defendants named in each of the two indictments, originally pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy in both cases last November. However, he has decided to change his plea. According to Vorkunov, Jones is due to appear in a federal court in Brooklyn on April 28, though Sisak says his change-of-plea hearing is scheduled for May 6.
While Jones never held a formal coaching position with the Lakers, he’s a longtime friend of LeBron James who was often around the team and would occasionally fly with the players to road games. Federal prosecutors have accused Jones of using his access to sell non-public information to gamblers, most notably in relation to a game on February 9, 2023 between the Lakers and Bucks, which James sat out. Jones allegedly sent a text message to an unnamed co-conspirator that read, “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA is engaged in talks with Kalshi and Polymarket about a potential prediction-market deal, reports Ben Horney of Front Office Sports. Sources tell Horney that the NBA would like to gain a measure of control over which markets are permitted and wants to ensure there are mechanisms in place to “monitor suspicious trading patterns.” The NHL has already reached deals with Kalshi and Polymarket, while MLB agreed to an exclusive partnership with Polymarket.
- Although Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham were granted award eligibility on Thursday through the appeals process, the National Basketball Players Association would still like to see the 65-game rule eliminated or modified, according to Dan Woike, Sam Amick, and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. A league source tells The Athletic that the rule was initially proposed by the league and eventually accepted by the players’ union, but the NBPA no longer supports it.
- Eric Nehm and Fred Katz of The Athletic takes a look at the top first-time head coaching candidates from around the NBA, including Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney, Heat assistant Chris Quinn, and Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, among several others.
- The NBA announced this week that it boasted impressive viewership numbers in 2025/26, the first year of its new $76 billion media rights deal with Disney, Amazon, and NBC. As The Associated Press relays, the NBA said the average viewership of games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock, and NBA TV was up 35% from last season and reached its highest mark in 13 seasons. The league added that 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games on those four broadcast platforms this season, the highest total in 24 years and an 86% increase on last season’s total.
Bucks Notes: Rivers, Shams, Giannis, Green, More
Before Doc Rivers and the Bucks officially announced on Monday that he won’t be returning as the team’s head coach for 2026/27, Rivers claimed during an appearance on the Run it Back show on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link) that ESPN’s Shams Charania got upset about Rivers joking prior to All-Star weekend that Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the captains for the celebrity game, should “trade” Charania.
“Shams took that so personal that he actually called the Bucks and yelled at them to take (the clip) down,” Rivers said, laughing and describing ESPN’s top NBA insider as “emotional.”
Rivers added that he heard from “10 different people” after that incident who told him that Charania would publish a “revenge article” on Rivers and the Bucks, which is how the veteran coach explained last week’s ESPN report that included several behind-the-scenes details from anonymous sources on a dysfunctional season in Milwaukee.
“I just report the news and the truth can hurt sometimes,” Charania said during a Monday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video links). “… If (the Bucks) spent as much time dealing with their own internal problems as they did responding to accurate reports, they wouldn’t be in the mess that they’re in right now. … I’m just here to document and cover it the right way.”
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- Eric Nehm of The Athletic shares his own reporting on a disappointing Bucks season, citing multiple league sources who say that Rivers told several veteran players following a March 21 shootaround in Phoenix that he thought they’d “failed him.” The coach also questioned their “commitment, conditioning, focus, and leadership,” according to Nehm, who said those vets didn’t take kindly to Rivers’ remarks. “That’s when I checked out on this season,” one player told The Athletic.
- In an interview with Mark Medina of EssentiallySports, Bucks broadcaster Marques Johnson said that the Antetokounmpo saga in Milwaukee – including a disagreement between the star forward and the team about his health – is “as toxic as it appears,” referring to it as a “bad situation.”
- Identifying a few potential candidates for the Bucks’ newly opened head coaching position, Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentions a couple names that have been previously reported – former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and current Bucks assistant Darvin Ham – and adds two more to the list: Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney and Heat assistant Chris Quinn. Sweeney is a former Bucks assistant who formed a strong bond with Antetokounmpo, Owczarski notes, while Milwaukee received permission to interview Quinn in the past.
- Antetokounmpo’s future and the head coaching search are the focus of Bobby Marks’ Bucks offseason preview at ESPN.com, but Marks also examines the team’s cap situation and its tradable assets, and suggests Milwaukee needs to find a lead guard and establish an identity on defense after plummeting to 26th in the NBA in defensive rating in 2025/26.
- Fourth-year sharpshooter A.J. Green, whose four-year, $45MM extension will begin in 2026/27, set a new franchise record by making 11 three-pointers in the Bucks’ regular season finale on Sunday. Steve Megargee of The Associated Press has the story.
Coaching Rumors: Jenkins, Wizards, Mosley, Pelicans, Kerr, More
There wasn’t a whole lot of NBA head coaching turnover last spring, when several teams retained coaches who had previously had interim tags and only the Suns and Knicks made new hires. There haven’t been many changes since then either, with only New Orleans having made an in-season change, though Portland was also forced to elevate assistant Tiago Splitter after Chauncey Billups was arrested in October.
The expectation is that a relatively quiet 12 months on the coaching market could result in an eventful few weeks once the regular season ends, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
“There’s going to be eight to 12 (coaching changes),” one source predicted to Fischer.
With several head coaching jobs expected to open up this spring, Fischer identifies a few candidates to monitor for those openings, naming current assistants Sean Sweeney (Spurs), Micah Nori (Timberwolves), Jared Dudley (Nuggets), Dave Bliss (Thunder), Chris Quinn (Heat), Royal Ivey (Rockets), and Luke Walton (Pistons).
Here are several more coaching-related rumors from Fischer:
- Confirming that Taylor Jenkins is a potential target to watch for the Bucks if they part ways with Doc Rivers, Fischer says there have been “whispers for months” that the Wizards would also have interest in Jenkins if they decide to move on from Brian Keefe. It’s unclear at this point if Washington intends to bring back Keefe for another season as the team aims to take a step toward contention in 2026/27. “It’s very difficult for any young coach to survive a years-long rebuild and (then) oversee a dramatic cultural shift of losing to competing,” one general manager told The Stein Line.
- If the Magic let go of Jamahl Mosley, he’s expected to draw interest from New Orleans, according to Fischer, who says Pelicans general manager Joe Dumars is a fan. James Borrego is also expected to receive consideration for the permanent job in New Orleans, Fischer notes, adding that Bucks assistant Darvin Ham is another candidate to watch if the team conducts a full-fledged search.
- While it’s too early to say what will happen with Steve Kerr, Fischer has heard that the Warriors would ideally like to sign the veteran coach for more than a single season if he decides to return, since team officials would prefer to avoid a “Last Dance scenario,” if possible. Stephen Curry‘s current contract expires in 2027, as does Jimmy Butler‘s. Draymond Green‘s would too if he exercises his 2026/27 player option.
- The Kings are still evaluating Doug Christie‘s performance and are taking into account that injuries decimated his roster this season, Fischer writes. Christie has one more guaranteed year left on his contract (with a 2027/28 team option) and it’s not impossible that he’ll return for next season, Fischer adds.
- Although the Trail Blazers discussed a potential extension for Splitter at one point, per Fischer, the acting head coach’s future is up in the air with new owner Tom Dundon taking over the franchise. Dundon has talked about evaluating every aspect of the organization. That includes its head coach and its front office, according to Fischer, who suggests that changes in the basketball operations department are possible. For what it’s worth, Dundon said recently that general manager Joe Cronin’s job status is “solid.”
Mavs Notes: Starters, Kyrie, Smith, Robinson-Earl, Coaches, Lively
The Mavericks made one very significant roster addition over the summer, drafting No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg out of Duke. But the club’s starting five has yet to be determined heading into training camp, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
“This is competition,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re going to look at a lot of combinations.”
Kidd has indicated that everyone aside from All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is expected to fully participate in practice, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic. For now, free agent signing D’Angelo Russell is expected to start in Irving’s stead.
There’s more out of Dallas:
- Irving continues to improve from the ACL tear he suffered last March. Kidd, however, offered a measured take on his recovery to date, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “He is doing quite well, as we can see, but he’s not ahead of schedule, and so let’s not say that,” Kidd said. “That’s unfair to him and to the Mavs because it’s not true. Is he on schedule? It looks like it.” Mavs president of basketball operations Nico Harrison had suggested in July that the star guard was “ahead of schedule” in his rehab process.
- New Mavericks additions Dennis Smith Jr. and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl signed non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 agreements, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The agreements protect the team in the event that either player sustains an injury in training camp or the preseason and don’t count against the cap unless they carry over to the regular season.
- Kidd weighed in on Dallas losing assistant coaches Sean Sweeney, Jared Dudley, and Alex Jensen to other teams this summer, Curtis tweets. “The guys who left will be missed,” Kidd said. “Sweeney, Duds and Alex… It’s a compliment that we must be doing something right. Not wrong.”
- Third-year Mavericks center Dereck Lively II indicated during his media day session that he has grown this summer, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Lively, who was listed at 7’1″ last season, claims he is currently 7’2″ or 7’3″.
Spurs Add Martin, King To Johnson’s Staff
The Spurs have hired Tim Martin and Scott King as assistant coaches under Mitch Johnson, according to a team press release.
As previously reported, Sean Sweeney has been named the team’s associate head coach and Corliss Williamson has also joined the staff as an assistant.
Martin will serve as an assistant coach/player development, bringing more than 15 years of experience as an NBA skills trainer since 2008.
King led San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, to a Western Conference Finals appearance as head coach last season. He was named G League Coach of the Year. Before his time in Austin, King spent five seasons on the Knicks’ staff.
Sweeney had been an assistant under Jason Kidd with the Nets and Bucks as well as the Mavericks. Sweeney’s name has frequently popped up when head coaching jobs have come open but he has yet to land one of those coveted positions.
Williamson, a former NBA forward, spent the past two seasons as an assistant for the Timberwolves.
Rounding out the staff, Jimmy Baron and Josh Brannon have been promoted to assistant coach/player development as well. Rashard Lewis has joined the Spurs’ player development staff, while Andrew Weatherman will serve a coaching analyst and Madison Clower will have the role of player development analyst.
Lewis, who had a 16-year career as an NBA player, previously served as an assistant coach with the Pistons during the 2022/23 season.
Mavs Notes: Frontcourt, Washington, Flagg, Free Agency, Sweeney, Lottery Luck
The Mavericks frontcourt might seem a little crowded with Dereck Lively, Anthony Davis, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford — who just agreed to an extension — joined by top pick Cooper Flagg.
However, general manager Nico Harrison indicated he’s planning to have all of them sharing minutes, rather than moving one of the veterans. He also envisions Washington, the incumbent starting small forward, playing together with Flagg at times. Harrison even brought up the subject with Washington.
“I said, ‘Hey, P.J., you think you guys can play together?’ ” Harrison recalled, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we can play together.’ So I don’t see any jealousy. I think guys are excited to play with him and as he’s ready, he’s gonna get more and more opportunities.”
By winning the draft lottery, Harrison believes the team will be contenders for years to come.
“I think it’s win now. It’s also win in the future,” Harrison said. “Eventually it’s going to be Cooper’s team. We don’t know when that transition will happen. So I think it’s win now and then set yourself up to win in the future as well.”
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- Harrison envisions Flagg as making an impact in a variety of ways, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal relays. “He’s a basketball player. He can handle the ball, he can shoot, he can make plays for people. He’s a good passer,” Harrison said. “He’s going to be on the floor. The big thing is: who can he defend? And he’s a great defender.”
- Harrison said the Mavs will look in free agency to fill the temporary void left by Kyrie Irving‘s ACL injury but it won’t necessarily be a traditional point guard. “I’m not really worried about someone to run the offense. I think we’ve got enough guys that can handle the ball and play multiple positions — just someone to get us organized,” Harrison said, per Afseth, adding, “A lot of players want to come play in Dallas.”
- Harrison became extremely unpopular with fans after trading Luka Doncic but the franchise’s lottery luck seems to have to toned down the vitriol, he notes. “I’ve seen the fans react since we got the No. 1 pick. It feels like they’re feeling really good and optimistic about the future,” he said, according to Afseth. “I’m hoping so. I’m assuming so — a little bit maybe.”
- Harrison emphasized during his press conference that Jason Kidd was staying put as head coach, dousing speculation that Kidd could wind up with the Knicks. Sean Sweeney‘s agent, Andy Miller, told Townsend (Twitter link) that Dallas did want to keep Sweeney but that the Spurs offered the highly regarded assistant a “bigger role.” “Sean’s contract was expiring,” Miller said. “Dallas made a yeoman’s effort to obviously retain him. They wanted to keep him. I think for Sean this is an opportunity to have a bigger role, a bigger say, more input, with an upward trajectory…”
- A team source told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes that the organization was stunned when it drew the top combination in the lottery last month. “We never even considered that the impossible could happen on May 12,” the source said. “I’m not sure there has ever been a more abrupt reversal of fortune.”
Wolves Assistant Micah Nori Interviewing With Knicks
Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori is the latest high-profile candidate to interview for the Knicks‘ head coaching vacancy, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Nori, 51, has been an NBA assistant since 2009 and came to Minnesota as lead assistant prior to the 2021/2022 season. He is best known for replacing Chris Finch as the team’s sideline coach during last year’s playoffs after Finch was injured in a collision with a player.
Nori recently interviewed for the Suns’ head coaching job before Jordan Ott was hired, and he was among the list of nine finalists for the position. He also had interviews with the Pistons and Cavaliers last summer.
Nori, who started his NBA career in Toronto and also spent time with Sacramento, Denver and Detroit, has established himself as one of the NBA’s top assistant coaches and has been viewed as a likely future head coach for several years. In a recent interview, Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly predicted that Nori would land a head coaching job soon.
Nori is the third known candidate to conduct a formal interview for the Knicks’ opening, joining former Kings coach Mike Brown and former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins. Numerous reports indicate that New York is also monitoring Jason Kidd’s status in Dallas in case he doesn’t receive an extension this summer and tries to force his way out.
Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, who is headed to San Antonio to become associate head coach under Mitch Johnson, turned down an opportunity to interview with New York, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper suggests the Knicks’ pursuit of Sweeney is a sign that they recognize Kidd may be an unrealistic option.
Spurs To Hire Mavs Assistant Sweeney As Associate Head Coach
Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney has agreed to become the associate head coach of the Spurs under Mitch Johnson, Shams Charania of ESPN tweets. The Spurs’ interest in Sweeney was previously reported by Marc Stein.
Sweeney has been an assistant under Jason Kidd with the Nets and Bucks as well as the Mavericks. They’ll now lose him to an up-and-coming division rival.
Sweeney’s name has frequently popped up when head coaching jobs have come open but he has yet to land one of those coveted positions. He most recently interviewed for the Suns head coaching job.
Stein also reports that another Mavericks assistant, Jared Dudley, is being pursued by the Grizzlies and Cavaliers (Twitter link). According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, the Mavericks opted not to extend the contracts of their assistant coaches after their 2024 run to the NBA Finals (Twitter link). That is apparently a contributing factor in those assistants seeking other jobs.
Dallas could try to convince former Lakers and Suns coach Frank Vogel, who is now a consultant to the organization, to take Sweeney’s spot, according to Stein (Twitter link). However, Vogel apparently is comfortable in his consultant’s role as he awaits another head coaching opportunity.
Another assistant, God Shammgod, is drawing interest from the Magic, Stein adds (Twitter link).
Coaching Rumors: Dudley, Bryant, Cavs, Sweeney, Ivey, More
Memphis and Phoenix have already been linked to Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley this offseason. The Cavaliers have also expressed interest in hiring Dudley, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype observes, Cleveland has multiple coaching openings after assistants Jordan Ott, DeMarre Caroll and Bryan Tibaldi got new jobs. The organization’s G League coach, Chris Darnell, also landed a new position in Sacramento.
In addition to confirming Cleveland’s interest in Dudley, Scotto adds former Cavaliers forward Jawad Williams as another name to monitor. Williams has been an assistant coach and director of player development with the Kings since 2023.
Cleveland’s top assistant, Johnnie Bryant, was a finalist for Phoenix’s head coaching job alongside Ott. Bryant is expected to stay with the Cavs next season, according to Scotto.
Here are a few more coaching rumors from around the NBA:
- The Spurs remain in pursuit of Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, league sources tell Stein. Sweeney is Jason Kidd‘s top assistant in Dallas and would have a similar role on Mitch Johnson‘s staff in San Antonio if he’s hired away, Stein reports. Sweeney has interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs in recent years, including Phoenix’s vacancy, which ultimately went to Ott.
- According to Stein, “multiple teams” — including the Spurs — have expressed interest in Rockets assistant Royal Ivey this offseason, but the former NBA guard is expected to remain in Houston. Ivey, who interviewed for Phoenix’s top job and coached South Sudan’s national team during the 2024 Olympics, has also drawn interest from the Grizzlies, Scotto reports. In addition to the previously reported names, Heat assistant Wayne Ellington is another candidate to join the Grizzlies’ staff, Scotto adds.
- The Pelicans are believed to be looking for an assistant coach who specializes in player development after Dan Geriot left New Orleans to take the head coaching job at Iona, according to Scotto.