- Clubs with depth have been rewarded with extended success in this year’s playoffs, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Hughes posits that the Wizards will need to shore up their roster around stars Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook to move past the first round in future postseasons. Hughes notes just how much the Wizards depended on Beal for wins this season, as the club went 2-10 when the All-Star guard sat. Washington should look to add depth specifically on the wing, Hughes opines.
The Wizards have interviewed Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as they look for their next head coach, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. Katz adds that there is “some support” within the organization for hiring Ham.
Ham was among the candidates who interviewed for the Celtics’ job last month before they chose Ime Udoka, Katz notes (via Twitter). He also interviewed last year for an opening at Texas Tech, where he went to school, and for head coaching vacancies with the Clippers, Bulls and Pacers.
The 47-year-old has been an assistant in Milwaukee since Mike Budenholzer was hired in 2018, and he spent five seasons with Budenholzer in Atlanta as well. He started his NBA coaching career with the Lakers in 2011.
Prior to that, Ham spent eight years in the league as a player and was with the Wizards during the 1997/98 season.
Other names that have been mentioned in Washington’s coaching search include Celtics assistant Scott Morrison, Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, Sixers assistant Sam Cassell, Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Bulls assistant Chris Fleming, Suns assistant Willie Green and Nuggets associate head coach Wes Unseld Jr.
Keep track of all the developments on the NBA coaching front with our Head Coaching Search Tracker.
- Not surprisingly, Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal are the players most likely to remain on the Wizards‘ roster heading into next season, Fred Katz of The Athletic anticipates. Katz takes a look at every player on the roster and projects the odds they’ll return with Washington for the 2021/22 campaign.
The Pacers are close to hiring former Hornets assistant coach Ronald Nored to join Rick Carlisle‘s staff, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Nored reportedly received consideration for the Wizards’ head coaching job. It’s not clear if he remains a candidate for that position, but presumably if he takes an assistant job in Indiana he wouldn’t expect to be hired by Washington.
The Pacers have zeroed in on former Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce as Carlisle’s top assistant. Darrell Armstrong, Carlisle’s longtime assistant with the Mavericks, will not join him in Indiana, J. Michael adds in a separate tweet.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Jalen Green‘s scoring ability makes him a legitimate candidate for the Pistons to select him with the top overall pick, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. Green, who played with the G League’s Ignite team this season, is the most likely member of this year’s draft class to lead the league in scoring during his career, Langlois notes. At 6’6”, Green also has the size, elite skill level, athleticism and work ethic to be a special player in the league and that would give any team holding the top pick a lot to consider heading into the draft.
- The Pistons shouldn’t consider trading Jerami Grant coming off his career year, Rod Beard of the Detroit News opines. Dealing Grant would send a bad message that Detroit would be willing to flip an improving player who chose the franchise in free agency, Beard notes. Grant, who was recently added to Team USA, would be a top-line scorer and defender on a contending team, Beard adds.
- By re-hiring Carlisle, the Pacers are making a statement that they are no longer satisfied with mediocrity, says Bob Kravitz of The Athletic. Despite the team’s record this season, the Pacers have the pieces to make the playoffs and blossom into a contender. However, they need direction, professionalism and accountability, and bringing in Carlisle should facilitate that process.
The Magic are ramping up their search for a head coach, and one name that seems to be gaining serious momentum is Nuggets‘ associate head coach Wes Unseld Jr., write Josh Robbins and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Unseld recently conducted a second interview with the Magic, an indication that he’s a serious candidate for the position. Unseld worked as an assistant in Orlando under former head coach Jacque Vaughn from 2012-15, and has been an assistant in Denver for the past six seasons. He was promoted to associate head coach prior to this season, and was tasked with focusing on the Nuggets’ defense, which has been surprisingly successful given the team’s offense-minded personnel.
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports tweets that Unseld also interviewed for the Wizards‘ head coach position today. Unseld’s father, Wes Unseld Sr., was with the Wizards for 13 seasons as a player, including their championship in 1978, and served in different roles for the organization for 20 years, as vice president, head coach, and general manager.
Suns assistant coach Willie Green, Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon and Magic assistant coaches Tyrone Corbin, Pat Delany and Steve Hetzel have all interviewed for the Orlandoposition as well, and former Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley is set to interview with the team sometime this week.
A new name has surfaced in the Pelicans‘ head coaching search, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who says (via Twitter) that Suns assistant Willie Green is a candidate for the top job in New Orleans. While Fischer doesn’t specify whether the Pelicans have already talked to Green or have a meeting lined up with him, he reports that the former NBA wing has interviewed with both the Magic and Wizards, and made strong impression on both clubs.
Here are a few more coaching-related updates:
- Although Jacque Vaughn decided to withdraw from consideration for all current head coaching openings, the Nets assistant does have interest in becoming a head coach again at some point, a source tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. If the right opportunity present itself a year from now, Vaughn would be more inclined to take it, Scotto says.
- USA Basketball officially announced that Erik Spoelstra, who is coaching the U.S. Select Team in July, will be joined by a pair of notable assistants: Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, and Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley. The Select Team will primarily consist of younger players and will practice and scrimmage with Team USA’s Olympic squad in advance of the Tokyo games.
- Penny Hardaway, who announced on Tuesday that he’ll remain at the University of Memphis, will be adding a Hall-of-Fame coach to his staff, as Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link) reports that Larry Brown is joining the Tigers’ staff as an assistant. Brown’s 1,098 NBA regular-season wins are the eighth-most in league history.
- In case you missed it, we passed along items earlier today on the Wizards’ head coaching search and David Fizdale joining the Lakers’ coaching staff.
1:10pm: Bulls assistant Chris Fleming has also interviewed for the Wizards’ head coaching position, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link).
12:28pm: The Wizards are continuing through their first round of head coaching interviews this week, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who hears that the team could move onto the next stage of the process by the end of the week.
An earlier report indicated that Washington’s search for Scott Brooks‘ replacement will be “lengthy and thorough.” Only a handful of candidates have been reported so far, but Scotto adds a couple more names to that list.
According to Scotto, Hornets assistant Ronald Nored and Heat assistant Chris Quinn are receiving consideration from the Wizards and were in the mix for the team’s first round of interviews.
Nored, who played for Butler from 2008-12 and coached the Long Island Nets from 2016-18, is also drawing interest from the Pacers as a possible assistant on Rick Carlisle‘s staff, Scotto adds. Quinn, meanwhile, has been a member of Erik Spoelstra‘s staff in Miami since 2014 and reportedly interviewed for Indiana’s head coaching job in 2020.
Nored and Quinn join a group of candidates that includes Wes Unseld Jr., Scott Morrison, Jamahl Mosley, and Sam Cassell. As we relayed earlier today, Cassell interviewed with the Wizards on Tuesday.
The Wizards interviewed Sixers assistant Sam Cassell for their head coaching job on Tuesday, sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team is seeking a replacement for Scott Brooks after failing to reach an agreement on a new deal with him earlier this month.
Cassell was identified last week as one of the leading candidates to fill Washington’s coaching vacancy, but this is the first we’ve heard of his interview with the club. One report earlier in June suggested Cassell also may be on the Magic’s radar.
If Cassell were to be hired by the Wizards, it would be a reunion for the two sides and a homecoming of sorts for the former NBA point guard. A Baltimore native, Cassell began his coaching career with the Wizards in 2009, spending five years as an assistant with the franchise, first under Flip Saunders, then on Randy Wittman‘s staff.
Cassell subsequently worked as an assistant on Doc Rivers‘ staff with the Clippers from 2014-20, then joined Rivers in Philadelphia for the 2020/21 season. The veteran assistant has been a candidate for a handful of head coaching openings within the last couple years. He was linked to the Rockets and Clippers in 2020, and was said to receive some interest from Boston earlier this month before the team hired Ime Udoka.
While Cassell appears firmly in the mix for the Wizards’ job, the team is considering several other options, including Nuggets associate head coach Wes Unseld Jr., Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, and Celtics assistant Scott Morrison.
- Fred Katz of The Athletic breaks down the Wizards’ offseason outlook, and their three main areas of focus: three-point shooting, defense, and, of course, finding a head coach. Meanwhile, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores whether the Wizards could opt to hire a first-time head coach this offseason. Hughes writes that finding someone who could grow with the roster holds appeal to general manager Tommy Sheppard.
Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn has elected to withdraw his name from the ongoing head coaching searches around the NBA, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Vaughn is citing family reasons, including the opportunity to spend more time with his two teenage sons, as the motivator for his decision. The expectation is that he’ll return to Steve Nash‘s staff in Brooklyn for the 2021/22 season.
Three teams – the Pelicans, Wizards, and Magic – are still seeking a new head coach. However, there hadn’t been reports indicating that Washington and Orlando were considering Vaughn for their respective vacancies.
New Orleans, on the other hand, was said to have Vaughn high on its list of candidates. A report last week suggested that his candidacy for the Pelicans’ job was gaining traction, and a more recent report tabbed him as a potential frontrunner.
If Vaughn was their preferred candidate, the Pelicans will now have to turn to other options. Bucks assistant Charles Lee and New Orleans’ own assistant Fred Vinson are among those believed to be in the mix.