Coaching Rumors: Splitter, Blazers, Pelicans, Thibodeau
Tiago Splitter did an admirable job in Portland after taking over for Chauncey Billups during the first week of the 2025/26 season, leading the team to a 42-39 record the rest of the way and earning a playoff spot. However, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) that Splitter appears unlikely to be hired as the Trail Blazers‘ permanent head coach.
The Blazers’ goal is to interview upwards of 30 candidates for the job, according to Fischer, who explains that new team owner Tom Dundon wants to gather as much intel as possible on the coaching market before making a decision. However, the manner in which Dundon has operated since taking over control of the team – immediately implementing cost-cutting measures and launching the head coaching search before the season ended – has turned off some potential targets.
According to Fischer, multiple assistant coaches around the NBA have declined to reciprocate the Blazers’ interest due to Dundon’s approach and rumors that the team is looking to pays its new coach well below the standard market rate.
Nets assistant Steve Hetzel and Nuggets assistant Jared Dudley are among the candidates to watch, per Fischer, though he notes that Hetzel is also in the running for the Pelicans’ vacancy. Hetzel previously worked in Portland and overlapped with Damian Lillard during the point guard’s previous stint with the team, and Lillard has suggested some potential candidates to management during the coaching search, Fischer says.
Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Twitter link) also identifies Lakers assistant Greg St. Jean as one possible candidate getting a look from the Blazers.
Here are a few more coaching rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Both Hetzel and Bucks assistant Darvin Ham have made “strong impressions” on Pelicans team officials during New Orleans’ coaching search, Fischer reports. However, he says there’s a growing sense that Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney, who is also believed to be drawing interest from the Bulls and Magic, won’t be attainable for the Pelicans. It’s also unclear, Fischer says, whether anything will come of New Orleans’ reported interest in Jamahl Mosley, since it’s possible he won’t want to jump right into a new head coaching job after being fired by Orlando.
- Although Tom Thibodeau would be open to reuniting with the Bulls, the rebuilding club may not be a match for the veteran head coach, who is more likely to seek out a win-now situation, Fischer writes. Based on Fischer’s conversations with sources, the Magic job is the one viewed as most appealing to that type of candidate.
- Conner Varney, who had been working as a coaching associate under Quin Snyder in Atlanta, is leaving the Hawks to take a job with the Butler Bulldogs, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Varney will reunite with Ronald Nored, a former Hawks assistant who was hired as Butler’s head coach in March.
Blazers Notes: Camara, Splitter, Offseason, Dundon
After being eliminated from the playoffs in a Game 5 loss in San Antonio on Tuesday, young players like Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson and Deni Avdija came away encouraged by the Trail Blazers‘ first postseason appearance in five years, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
“My first two years, I was trying to figure out what the main goal was for this team, where we’re trying to go, what we have, what was our mission,” Camara said. “Well, now we have more of a clear view of what we can do and what we can accomplish. So I think it’s very promising. We have a lot of talent. We have a group of great-character guys. I’m just very excited for what we’ve got coming.”
As Freeman notes, Portland overcame a significant amount of adversity to make the playoffs. Head coach Chauncey Billups was placed on indefinite leave following the first game of the season after being arrested on federal charges related to illegal gambling, and the team endured several injuries throughout 2025/26.
“We had a crazy year, man,” Camara said. “We’ve battled all year. It’s a tough league. It’s a tough league to win. But we stuck together, believed in one another throughout all the ups and downs, and I think it was a positive season for us, especially the way we were able to end things. We didn’t get the results or play the way we wanted during the playoffs. But it was our first time for a lot of us and we’re learning, still trying to build connection. I think it’s only positive things and nowhere to go but up from here.”
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- A year ago, Bill Oram of The Oregonian was skeptical of the team’s direction, but he viewed this season as a major success and now believes the Blazers are trending in a positive direction. Oram argues fans shouldn’t lose perspective on all the promising developments of ’25/26, despite the team being overmatched against the Spurs.
- Veteran wing Matisse Thybulle lauded Tiago Splitter‘s performance as interim head coach, according to Brenna Greene of KOIN News (Twitter video link). “There’s a term where, if its late in the shot clock and someone throws you the ball because they don’t have a good look and you have to shoot it with no time left, they call it a grenade. In a sense that’s kind of what Tiago was thrown,” Thybulle said. “… It’s in some cases a bit of miracle, but in our world, even if you overachieve, it can still be disappointing to people. … As far as I’m concerned, Tiago did an amazing job.”
- Thybulle is one of many Blazers who’s supportive of Splitter, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (subscriber link), who thinks the former NBA big man has “more than earned” the full-time job. Finding a permanent head coach will be the first order of business in Portland, but there are several other big questions facing the team this summer, Highkin writes, mostly centered on new owner Tom Dundon and how his involvement will impact the organization going forward. Highkin views Camara, Avdija and Donovan Clingan as the team’s core, with shooting an obvious area of need going forward.
- Within his offseason preview, ESPN’s Bobby Marks also points to Dundon as a wild card this summer, since he may or may not push the team to be ultra-aggressive. Robert Williams and Thybulle are among Portland’s potential free agents, with Henderson eligible for a rookie scale extension.
- Dundon has been heavily criticized for a series of cost-cutting measures in his first month-plus as major owner. However, he recently opened his wallet to make another investment in pickleball, per Ben Axelrod of Front Office Sports.
Blazers GM Cronin On Coaching Search, Dundon, More
Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin conducted an end-of-season press conference on Thursday, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Portland, which was making its first playoff appearance since 2021, was eliminated by San Antonio on Tuesday.
Cronin confirmed the Blazers are conducting a search for a new head coach, stating that interim coach Tiago Splitter is a candidate to be promoted to the position full time.
“But we’re also looking around at other candidates,” Cronin said. “We decided early on we were going to cast a wide net and get to know a lot of different coaches and analyze and evaluate them in relation to Tiago. And timeline-wise, we don’t have a timeline pinned down. We just want to keep meeting people, keep talking to people and having a really thorough process.”
As for the rumors of new owner Tom Dundon being unwilling to fork over top dollar for a head coach, Cronin said that wasn’t necessarily the case.
“A lot of the reports on budget out there were a little misleading,” Cronin said. “I have talked to Tom a lot about this. We’re going to pay the coach based on some sort of level of shared risk. If it’s a first-time coach who comes with a lot of risk and doesn’t have a market that we have to necessarily compete in, it’ll be one number. If the coach we’re talking to is a 15-year vet and a future Hall of Famer, it’s going to be a completely different number. And Tom isn’t going to flinch at either of those scenarios. We’re going to be very open-minded to what types of people we interview and would potentially bring in. And I’m not concerned about the number at all.”
Here are few more highlights from Cronin’s presser, largely courtesy of Freeman.
On Dundon’s offseason directive:
“Growth. He wants to see us continue to get better on and off the court. Tom and I spent a lot of time … he’s so competitive and so diligent and so engaged with this team already. He studied us deeply and intensely, watches every game. We talk pretty much after every game. So he got a really good feel for us. Even before he took over, he was watching all the time. And I think he was really encouraged with what he saw. He saw continued growth. He saw a talent base that is very promising, (he) understands the assets that we have moving forward with all these picks that we have.
“He challenges us every day to go gain an advantage, go find the right player at the right price point to keep improving our roster. But also, internally improving our processes and how we’re looking at things, whether it’s from a coaching standpoint, our style of play and our player development techniques, to health and performance or scouting. It’s just overall getting better and better and fine-tuning all these areas that are needed in order for a team like ours to thrive.”
On how the team can improve this offseason:
“From a skill set perspective, I think, the Spurs series showed us that — really, the whole season — we just don’t shoot the ball well enough. Shooting is something we knew we were somewhat deficient in and something that we tried to address a little bit at the trade deadline with (the) Vit Krejci (trade), something that (Damian Lillard) will definitely help with. But it’s still a need moving forward. We played a lot of possessions in the mud where it was a crowd of paint for our attackers, specifically Deni (Avdija), Jrue (Holiday), Scoot (Henderson). They just didn’t have a lot of room to operate. And teams guarded us a certain way, knowing that we were really good at the rim and not great on the perimeter. And I think offensively, that just created issues for us throughout the season, highlighted by high turnover rate and percentages. So that’s one thing.
“We also still need to keep improving our talent base. A lot of that will come internally. I mentioned Dame already. Of course, that’s a big talent boost. But, individually, our guys got to keep getting better. We have a lot of young guys who have a lot of growth in them still, so they’ve got to take another step. But, also, we need to look externally for additions that could continue to boost our talent. This league, this Western Conference, it’s tough. We’ve got to keep getting better and keep stacking these players to be able to compete with these guys.”
On whether the Trail Blazers will make a big splash on the trade market or make moves around the edges:
“We’re open-minded to both. Big splash is definitely something that’s intriguing to us, but only at the right price point. We’re not going to completely sacrifice our future for a short-term swing. But at the same time, we plan to be very active and aggressive and explore all opportunities out there. If none of those opportunities present themselves, we’ll be content doing some smaller things, confident that our talent base is strong and that the addition of Dame, the internal development, fine-tuning some of these skill set deficiencies we have, we can take a nice step whether we make a big splash or not.”
On the decision to keep the two-way players in Portland at the start of the series instead of traveling to San Antonio (Twitter link via Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report):
“That one’s on me. I heard we were going to have some traveling party reductions and I assumed it would include them and didn’t double-check. That’s on me for not communicating it.”
Amick’s Latest: Lottery Reform, Mosley, Lakers, Wolves, More
A “heavy frontrunner” has emerged as the NBA considers its options to reduce tanking, league and team sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic.
In March, the league presented three separate lottery reform concepts to its governors to address the problem. It appears option No. 1, which expands the draft lottery to 18 teams from the current 14, has received the best reception, according to Amick. The proposal would give each of the bottom 10 teams an 8% chance of landing the top overall pick, and the remaining 20% would be distributed among the other eight. It’s a significant change from the current system, which provides the three worst teams with a 14% chance at the No. 1 selection, with the odds steadily declining for the rest.
Several general managers that Amick contacted point out that option No. 1 could result in new problems that should be addressed before a vote is taken. There could be an outcry if one of the four lottery teams that reaches the playoffs winds up winning the top overall selection. Although the odds of that happening are slim, the huge jumps taken by Atlanta, Dallas and other teams in the last two lotteries show that it’s possible.
The next step in the process will take place on Tuesday with a league-wide meeting of GMs on Zoom. Draft reform won’t be the only topic of discussion, but it will be the main issue, Amick adds. He hears that commissioner Adam Silver is taking a “collaborative approach,” welcoming extensive feedback, with the league’s competition committee taking the lead and representatives from the players union also involved.
A vote on reform is expected at the next Board of Governors meeting in May, and at least 23 of the 30 teams must approve the proposal for it to be adopted. Silver stated in February that he hopes to have a new system in place by next season.
There’s more from Amick:
- Orlando’s playoff success may be complicating a few expected coaching moves. Amick notes that rumors about Jamahl Mosley being on the hot seat have been circulating since October, and they intensified when the Magic lost their final regular season game and their first play-in contest. Former Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and Bucks associate head coach Darvin Ham were seen as potential replacements, and Mosley was viewed as a possible candidate for the Pelicans. However, Orlando holds a 2-1 lead in its series with top-seeded Detroit, and Amick believes Mosley is worthy of a “second look” from Magic officials if he can get the team to at least the second round.
- Amick addresses a few other coaching situations, including Tiago Splitter‘s unique position with the Trail Blazers and Mike Brown‘s Finals-or-bust mandate with the Knicks. Amick also believes pressure has increased on the Sixers’ Nick Nurse and the Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson following Sunday’s playoff losses.
- The Lakers and Timberwolves have experienced terrible injury luck, with L.A. losing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves before its series started and Minnesota seeing Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards both suffer significant injuries in Saturday’s game. Amick praises the foresight of the Lakers’ Rob Pelinka and the Wolves’ Tim Connelly for adding depth that gives their teams a chance to survive those losses. Pelinka signed Marcus Smart last summer following a buyout with Washington, then acquired Luke Kennard from Atlanta in February. Connelly made possibly the best deal at this year’s deadline, getting Ayo Dosunmu from Chicago in exchange for two little-used players and a package of second-round picks.
Blazers’ Splitter ‘Just Trying To Be A Pro’ Amid Coaching Rumors
After taking over as the Trail Blazers‘ interim head coach following Chauncey Billups‘ arrest one game into the season, Tiago Splitter led the team to a 42-39 record, a play-in victory, and the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2021.
However, Splitter’s future in Portland beyond this season remains up in the air, with one recent report suggesting that new team owner Tom Dundon has held exploratory discussions with approximately 20 college and international coaches. Amid rumors that the Blazers are considering head coaching alternatives, Splitter said on Tuesday that he’s “just trying to be a pro,” according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
“(I) try to focus on my locker room and my staff to stay and think about basketball,” Splitter said. “Same way when I got the job and all the stuff (with Billups) that was going on.”
According to Shelburne, sources close to the situation say that Splitter received a raise when he was elevated from his assistant coaching job earlier in the season and had discussions with the team later in the season about a possible longer-term contract. However, the salary the Blazers were prepared to offer was “far below” a standard rate for an NBA head coach and the two sides decided to table those talks until after the season, Shelburne adds.
Dundon didn’t officially take over as the Blazers’ controlling owner until the end of March, but he reached an agreement to buy the team last August, so it’s safe to assume he would’ve been privy to those negotiations even if they happened before the sale closed.
Since Dundon formally assumed control of the team three-plus weeks ago, there have been several reports about the cost-cutting measures he has taken throughout the organization, as we detailed in a pair of stories earlier this week. Sources tell Shelburne that another one of those cost-cutting measures involved reducing the number of complimentary tickets to home playoff games for support staffers.
Reports that Dundon isn’t willing to pay more than $1.5MM annually for a head coach have received some push-back, with one source telling The Athletic this week that the Blazers owner is focused on finding the “best person” for the job. Still, as Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report tweets, it’s hard to envision what more Splitter could do to prove he deserves to stick around.
“He got thrown in a difficult situation,” Blazers star Deni Avdija said on Tuesday after Splitter guided the Blazers to a comeback victory in Game 2 to even the series at one game apiece as it returns to Portland. “It wasn’t easy for him to just all of a sudden take the head job. But I think he’s done phenomenal. He’s getting the best out of everybody. He’s believing in each and single one of his players, and we love playing for him. He’s a winner, he’s a competitor. He knows how it is to win a championship. He’s passionate, and he got all the tools to be a great coach, and that’s what he’s doing.”
Blazers’ Dundon Reportedly Unfazed By Criticism Over Spending Cuts
It has been less than a month since Tom Dundon officially took over as the Trail Blazers‘ controlling owner, but several reports in recent weeks have suggested he’s taking a penny-pinching approach to the role.
The Blazers were reportedly the only team not to bring their two-way players on the road for their first-round series; they have begun requiring support staffers to check out of their hotel rooms early in order to avoid incurring late check-out fees; and they reportedly want to pay their next permanent head coach a bargain-basement rate.
Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscriber link) shares a few more details on the cost-cutting measures happening in Portland, writing that the team reduced the number of people in its traveling party for last week’s play-in game in Phoenix and the first-round series in San Antonio, leaving behind its digital reporter and award-winning team photographer, among others. The Blazers also haven’t sent a scout to the Timberwolves/Nuggets games despite the fact that they would face the winner of that series if they upset San Antonio, Oram adds.
According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, interim head coach Tiago Splitter expressed frustration to a confidant last Tuesday when the team’s masseuse, having had to leave her hotel room to avoid a late check-out fee, had nowhere to provide players with treatment ahead of that night’s play-in game in Phoenix.
As Quick explains, all the changes stem from an edict that Dundon gave to Blazers management when he assumed control of the franchise.
“The directive was, ‘Why are we wasting money? Let’s think about this prudently,'” a team source told Quick. “Essentially he was saying, ‘Let’s make things like (the traveling party) be about who needed to be there, not it-would-be-nice-if-they-come.'”
According to Quick and Oram, the Blazers spent lavishly on various non-essential perks under the former ownership of the late Paul Allen, who was one of the richest men in the world. While it may be true that the organization became a “bloated enterprise” under Allen, it seems as if Dundon is determined to over-correct in the other direction, Oram writes, making the team the NBA’s “most spendthrift organization.”
“I think (Dundon) thinks this is just the beginning,” a team source told The Athletic. “I think he thinks this is just what taking over franchises is, where you have to change things. He said he went through a lot of rough times (with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes) … but ultimately all people care about now is winning. So what I think is accurate is him being cheap as it relates to stuff that in his mind does not impact player performance.”
Both Quick and Oram agree that Dundon has a reputation for cutting costs in other areas so that he can invest more money in players and the on-court product, with Quick suggesting that the new Blazers owner is prepared to go into luxury tax territory next season if it’s necessary to land an impact player.
However, Oram questions whether on-court and off-court spending can really be siloed off from one another, observing that spending reductions in one area will be felt in another, including the locker room. And while he may be more willing to spend on talent, Dundon runs the risk of alienating top players, coaches, and other personnel if he isn’t willing to invest in his team’s infrastructure, one league source points out to Quick.
“He’s already established that he’s very cheap,” that source said. “And I know he doesn’t love Oregon, and is concerned that it is a state that can’t draw free agents. Well, with all due respect, you’re not helping the cause of drawing free agents when you treat everyone like s–t there.”
Multiple sources who spoke to Quick pushed back on a recent report stating that Dundon only wants to pay his head coach a salary in the $1-1.5MM range, with one team source stating that’s “just not true” and that the new owner is focused on finding the “best person” for the job. Still, it remains to be seen whether the Blazers will be willing to pay the going rate for that “best” candidate.
Oram (Twitter links) hears that the team isn’t solely shopping in the bargain aisle and did want to touch base with Michael Malone but would have been looking to pay him about half of what he eventually got from UNC.
According to Oram, Malone declined to talk to the Blazers because their job isn’t technically even open at this point. Splitter has done an admirable job filling in for Chauncey Billups after Billups’ October arrest, and while a team source insists that Splitter will be the “leading candidate” in the search, Dundon has cast a wide net in searching for potential alternatives, according to Quick, who names Josh Schertz (St. Louis University), Ben McCollum (Iowa), and Tom Thibodeau as coaches the Blazers have reached out to, though he notes that Thibodeau is no longer a candidate.
Those leaks have put Splitter in an awkward position as he attempts to lead the Blazers to their first playoff series victory since 2019.
“The amount of disrespect (toward Splitter) that’s going on is beyond description,” one league source told The Athletic. “It’s like, every day a new name is coming up. It’s the most vicious thing I’ve encountered in 30-plus years.”
“This is what Tom is good at — talking to 100 people and getting data,” a Blazers source said to Quick. “What he is learning quickly is that unlike hockey — where nobody cares — in basketball if you talk to 100 people, 70 will tell people.”
As bad as the PR around Dundon has been so far, several of his longtime associates tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that the public criticism won’t faze him at all. Quick has heard a similar sentiment from his own sources.
“I ought to tell you, I don’t think he gives a rat’s ass what is said about him,” a league source told The Athletic. “Most owners care. They insulate themselves because they care very much about their image and profile. He doesn’t give a f–k. He doesn’t even flinch with this stuff.”
“His heart is in the right place,” a team source insisted to Quick. “He is going to build this thing into a winner, I know it. And I know three years from now, or five years from now, people are going to love it. But over the next 12 months, they are going to hate it.”
Trail Blazers Notes: Splitter, Head Coach, Avdija, Scoot
Tiago Splitter has done an admirable job as the Trail Blazers‘ interim head coach, guiding the team to its first playoff appearance in five years while overseeing the development of several key young players, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian (subscriber link).
However, there has been a lot of speculation about Splitter’s future with Portland, with multiple reports indicating new owner Tom Dundon doesn’t want to pay the going rate for even a first-time NBA head coach. Dundon himself suggested the team would look at other coaching options beyond Splitter.
Splitter, who purchased a home and moved his family from France when he was hired away as head coach of Paris Basketball to be an assistant last summer, pointed out that he has improved throughout the season and continues to get better. According to Freeman, Splitter chuckled and said he wasn’t sure how he’d approach his interview with Dundon about the position.
“I don’t know yet,” the 41-year-old said. “I’ve still got to think it through. I’ll probably just go with the facts, what happened, what I did and why I did it at that moment, why it worked or didn’t work. We’re going to go down with the facts.”
A former NBA big man, Splitter laughed when he was asked earlier in April if he wanted the job, replying, “Of course I do.” The Brazilian coach also had no issues with Dundon interviewing other candidates, Freeman writes.
“He’s probably going to interview a bunch of coaches and probably I’m going to be one of them,” Splitter said. “We’ll see what he wants from me and what he wants from the head coach, and we’ll see if I’m the best option or not. This is a normal thing to happen, right? When you buy a team for $4.25 billion, you probably want to make that decision. So it’s fair. I understand. I think he’s smart to wait and talk to other coaches. I would do the same. Right now, I’m not losing sleep because of it, honestly, I’m just trying to do the best I can and finish the season.
“But me and my family, we love it here. Honestly, before we came here, we were not sure if we would like it or not. But we love it. The outdoors — my kids are playing outside all day — and my wife says it feels like home. We love the city and we love the organization.”
Here’s more on the Trail Blazers:
- Splitter, who was previously an assistant in Brooklyn and Houston, took over for Chauncey Billups prior to the second game of the season after Billups was arrested on federal charges related to illegal gambling. Splitter recorded a 42-39 regular season record and has the support of the locker room, Freeman adds in the same story. Robert Williams, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija are among the players who voiced their public support for Splitter. “Results speak for themselves,” Avdija said. “He was put into a challenging situation when he took over the team and we’ve had to use different rotations and guys all season. But I feel like he adjusted amazing through all that. I feel like he got the best out of everybody. We love playing for him. I appreciate the job he’s done and I respect him as a coach and a human.”
- In addition to his own team, Splitter has drawn praise from rival clubs as well. Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson is a fan of Splitter’s, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I think Tiago’s crushed it,” Johnson said. “I think when you see their team, and they’ve had a lot of in and out and the rosters and lineups, the temperament that he’s had and being able to lead that team and just what they’ve done recently (it’s impressive). The way they finished and the way they’re playing is a testament to him and the way those guys are playing and fighting for him and each other.”
- Although Scoot Henderson admits the first three years of his career haven’t gone the way he imaged after being selected No. 3 overall in the 2023 draft, the former G League Ignite guard remains supremely confident in his abilities, according to Bill Oram of The Oregonian. Henderson still thinks he should have gone No. 1 that year, ahead of Victor Wembanyama, his opponent in the first round. “Hell yeah,” he said after a practice this week. “I do. I think I bring so much to any team I go on. I bring that winning mentality, my confidence in my game and my approach to the game.” As Oram writes, Henderson obviously hasn’t approached Wembanyama’s level as a player to this point in their careers, with Henderson essentially acting as undersized 3-and-D shooting guard when he re-entered the starting lineup a few years ago. Still, Henderson has a chance to show he’s part of the team’s long-term future with a strong series, Oram notes, and Henderson says he’ll do whatever he can to contribute. “The way I look at it,” Henderson said, “however I can get on the court, however long I can stay on the floor, whatever I got to do, I’m out there. I’m trying to do it, trying to get stops.”
Fischer’s Latest: Horst, Bucks, Jenkins, Blazers, Bulls
The Bucks endured a disappointing and drama-filled season in 2025/26, going just 32-50 amid injuries to — and trade rumors involving — Giannis Antetokounmpo. Head coach Doc Rivers officially stepped down from his role on Monday and suggested in a subsequent podcast appearance that his NBA coaching days may be over.
Could general manager Jon Horst be the next key member of the organization on the move? According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), the early signs in Milwaukee indicate the answer to that question is no.
There had been speculation around the league about Horst’s job status, but his contract runs through 2027/28 and he has initiated contact with several agents as the Bucks commence their search for Rivers’ replacement, sources tell Fischer.
As Fischer writes, Horst hasn’t really spearheaded a coaching search since 2018, when the team hired Mike Budenholzer. Adrian Griffin, who went 30-13 in ’23/24 before being replaced by Rivers, was believed to be the favored choice of Antetokounmpo, while Rivers was hand-picked by ownership.
Fischer reiterates that ex-Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and Bucks top assistant Darvin Ham are among the candidates for the position, but Horst appears to be casting a wide net in his search, with several other names in play as well.
On the other end of the search, candidates for the job likely won’t have a great feel for what Milwaukee’s roster will look like next season until at least this summer, Fischer notes, since Antetokounmpo’s situation remains unresolved.
Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:
- Jenkins, who was fired by Memphis near the end of the ’24/25 regular season, may be the “hottest name” on the coaching market, Fischer writes. There has been speculation the Wizards could be interested in Jenkins, but Washington’s front office recently said Brian Keefe is expected to remain in his role next season. Sources tell Fischer the Wizards want to give Keefe a chance to lead a team trying to win after Washington prioritized draft positioning in his first two-and-a-half years at the helm. The Magic are believed to be fans of Jenkins too, though the team still has Jamahl Mosley under contract.
- According to Fischer, part of the reason the Kings decided to retain Doug Christie is because Sacramento doesn’t project to be a playoff team next season and the former NBA guard has one year left on his contract. Given the current state of the team, paying two coaches doesn’t make much sense, Fischer writes.
- While Tiago Splitter has seemingly done as well as anyone could have hoped in Portland after Chauncey Billups was arrested and placed on leave as part of an illegal gambling probe, the Trail Blazers may be leaning in a different direction as they look to hire the first head coach under new majority owner Tom Dundon. According to Fischer, that’s not a reflection on Splitter’s performance as Portland’s interim replacement but rather Dundon’s reticence to pay the going rate for an NBA head coach. Fischer hears it has been “widely communicated” for weeks that Dundon is evidently looking to spend a maximum of $1.5MM per year on a new head coach, which is more in line with what top assistant coaches make. It’s also far less money than high-level college head coaches earn, Fischer continues, which is why some people believe an NBA assistant is more likely to accept the job unless a deal can be reached with Splitter. Fischer hears the Blazers have held exploratory talks with 20 college and international coaches about the position.
- The Bulls have hired the firm TurnkeyZRG to lead the search process for their new head of basketball operations, Fischer reports, but head coach Billy Donovan is also expected to have a “strong voice” in the search, assuming he stays in his current role. The Mavericks, meanwhile, decided not to use a search firm, with governor Patrick Dumont leading that process, Fischer adds.
Northwest Notes: Splitter, Nuggets, Daigneault, Hardy
Tiago Splitter has emulated Gregg Popovich as interim head coach of the Trail Blazers, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Splitter, 41, spent five of his seven NBA seasons playing in San Antonio under Popovich, including winning a title in 2014.
“The way he treats people makes you feel like you are part of a family,” Splitter said of Popovich, who retired from coaching last May as the NBA’s all-time winningest coach after leading the Spurs to five NBA titles and six trips to the Finals in 29 seasons.
“That’s really what I am trying to do here,” Splitter continued. “I have everybody involved. From one to 18 on the roster, everybody has to be part of this. I think that is what I learned most from him, the off-the-court stuff. The Xs and Os, yeah, they are important. I think everybody does that in the league. But the relationship part with the players is what really, really separates Pop from all the coaches.”
As Orsborn points out, multiple reports have suggested Splitter isn’t a lock to be promoted to Portland’s full-time head coach despite taking over under difficult — and extraordinary — circumstances and helping the team exceed expectations in 2025/26.
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- After expressing optimism earlier this week that Nuggets forwards Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones could both be available for Saturday’s Game 1 matchup vs. Minnesota, head coach David Adelman said on Friday that Jones has a better chances of suiting up than Watson, tweets Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports. Both players are recovering from right hamstring strains — Watson has been out since April 1, while Jones suffered his injury on March 29.
- Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault continued to improve in 2025/26 after leading the team to the championship last season, according to star swingman Jalen Williams (subscriber-only story via Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman). While Daigneault may not be a finalist for Coach of the Year after leading Oklahoma City to the best record in the league for the second straight season, his players continue to sing his praises, Carlson writes. “And I think especially for us this season, it’s been big because coming off winning a championship, winning however many games, the margins are small for where you can find improvement,” veteran Alex Caruso said. “But I think he’s done a great job of searching for it and pushing us to try and find some ways to get better as well.”
- Will Jazz head coach Will Hardy show a different side of himself next season after guiding a tanking team over the past four years? Sarah Todd of The Deseret News explores that subject, writing that third-year guard Keyonte George expects Hardy to be a little more intense in 2026/27. “Oh, absolutely,” George said with a knowing laugh and shake of his head. “Will is already a maniac and he’s gonna have his moments. But I know Will, and I know he wants the best for us, so whatever that looks like from Will — I know there’ll be a lot of screaming and yelling — it’s gonna make us great.”
J.B. Bickerstaff Wins Coaches Association Award
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has won the Michael H. Goldberg award for the 2025/26 season, earning Coach of the Year honors from the National Basketball Coaches Association, according to a press release.
This award, introduced in 2017 and named after longtime NBCA executive director Michael H. Goldberg, is voted on by the NBA’s 30 head coaches, none of whom can vote for himself.
It isn’t the NBA’s official Coach of the Year award, which is voted on by media members and is represented by the Red Auerbach Trophy. The winner of that award will be announced later this spring.
Bickerstaff has guided the Pistons to a remarkable turnaround since taking over as their head coach during the 2024 offseason. Coming off the worst season in franchise history, Detroit improved from 14-68 to 44-38 in Bickerstaff’s first year at the helm, then took another huge step forward in 2025/26, finishing the season with a 60-22 record. It was just the third 60-win season in team history and the first in two decades.
The Pistons had the NBA’s second-best defensive rating (108.9) and tied with the Spurs for the league’s No. 2 overall net rating (+8.4) in 2025/26, despite missing leading scorer Cade Cunningham for 18 games.
The NBCA Coach of the Year award has frequently been a bellwether for the NBA’s Coach of the Year honor, which bodes well for Bickerstaff. In seven of the nine years since the award’s inception, the winner has gone on to be named the NBA’s Coach of the Year, including in 2025 when Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers won both awards.
Still, there’s a crowded field of candidates for Coach of the Year. The NBCA noted within its release that seven different coaches earned votes for its award, “reflecting the depth of coaching excellence in the NBA this season.”
Besides Bickerstaff, Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Mitch Johnson (Spurs), Charles Lee (Hornets), Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), Quin Snyder (Hawks), and Tiago Splitter (Trail Blazers) each received at least one vote from their fellow coaches for this year’s NBCA award.