The NBA Finals are well underway after what's been several wild and unpredictable playoff rounds. As teams enter the offseason, coaches are getting the pink slip as franchises try to overhaul things before next season. As a result, seven different franchises had coaching vacancies to fill this summer, and now they've all been filled.
In the latest coaching move, the Washington Wizards are finalizing a deal to make Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr. their new coach after parting ways with Scott Brooks after their season ended. Unseld has some experience with the Wizards, as he served as an assistant with the team from 2005 to 2011. Additionally, the New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly hiring Willie Green, who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. Green will replace head coach Stan Van Gundy, who lasted just a single season with the Pelicans.
Elsewhere around the league, the Portland Trail Blazers let go of Terry Stotts, the second-winningest coach in franchise history, after his fourth first-round exit in five years. Taking his spot is Chauncey Billups, who will embark on his first head-coaching position. They gave the Los Angeles Clippers' assistant a five-year deal to take the reins.
The Indiana Pacers let go of Nate Bjorkgren after just one season as head coach as the franchise looks for someone with more experience to lead this playoff-contending team. That someone is ex-Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, who returns to Indiana on a reported four-year, $29 million deal. Carlisle, who led the club to a championship in 2011, stepped away from his post after 13 years in Dallas. Carlisle was head coach of Pacers from 2003-07 and made the playoffs three times, including a trip to the conference finals in 2004. On his way out of Dallas, Carlisle endorsed Jason Kidd as the next Mavs coach because "he and Luka [Doncic] have so many things in common as players." Dallas took the advice and made Kidd its next hire.
The Boston Celtics shockingly made two massive moves as coach Brad Stevens will be transitioning to become the franchise's new president, replacing longtime president Danny Ainge, who decided to step down. Stevens and the Celtics then decided to make Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka his replacement on the sideline.
Below are all the coaching moves around the league.
NBA hirings and firings
Team | IN | OUT | ANALYSIS |
---|---|---|---|
Wes Unseld Jr. | Scott Brooks | The Wizards, who parted ways with Scott Brooks after the season, have found his replacement in Wes Unseld Jr. The veteran coach has previously served as an assistant with the Wizards from 2005 to 2011, and most recently has been an assistant with the Denver Nuggets. Unseld is the son of Wizards legend Wes Unseld, who is the franchise's all-time leader in games played. | |
Wille Green | Stan Van Gundy | The New Orleans Pelicans are expected to hire Willie Green as their new head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Suns assistant is still coaching as Phoenix is still playing in the Finals. | |
Jamahl Mosley | Steve Clifford | The Magic are hiring Mosley, who's been an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks for several years. This will be his first head-coaching gig. He replaces Clifford, who mutually agreed to part ways as Orlando enters a rebuild. | |
Chauncey Billups | Terry Stotts | The Trail Blazers and Stotts mutually agreed to part ways after Portland's first-round exit in the playoffs. Star point guard Damian Lillard endorsed Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups for the job after Stotts' future was announced, and Billups ultimately landed the position on a five-year deal. It will be Billups' first head-coaching position after working as an assistant under Ty Lue with the Los Angeles Clippers this season. | |
Jason Kidd | Rick Carlisle | Rick Carlisle, who resigned from his post and joined the Pacers as their new coach, said that his "hope is that Jason Kidd will be the next coach of the Mavs because he and Luka [Doncic] have so many things in common as players." That's exactly the move Dallas made as it hired the former Maverick and Hall of Famer to a four-year deal. | |
Rick Carlisle | Nate Bjorkgren | The Indiana Pacers will hire Rick Carlisle as their next coach on a four-year, $29 million deal, according to ESPN. Carlisle recently stepped down as coach of the Mavericks after being in charge for 13 seasons with the franchise and helping lead the team to its only championship. He returns to Indiana after coaching the Pacers from 2003-2007, where he made the postseason three times and made it to the Eastern Conference finals in 2004. | |
Ime Udoka | Brad Stevens | Stevens, who has shifted roles with the Celtics from head coach to new team president, is reportedly close to finalizing his first major move as Boston: hiring Nets assistant Ime Udoka as his replacement. | |
Nate McMillan | Lloyd Pierce | The Hawks decided to move on from Pierce midway through the 2020-21 season after two-and-a-half seasons in Atlanta. Pierce started off by overseeing a rebuild, but after the team went big in free agency over the offseason, expectations were elevated. At the time of his firing, the Hawks were just 14-20 and well outside of the playoff picture in the East. The Hawks are hopeful assistant Nate McMillan will choose to become the team's interim coach. | |
Chris Finch | Ryan Saunders | After an extremely slow start to the season, the Timberwolves decided to move on from Ryan Saunders. Almost immediately after firing Saunders, Minnesota named Toronto Raptors assistant coach Chris Finch as their new coach. Finch is a first-time head coach, but the Wolves are hoping he can turn things around for a team that has only made the postseason once in the last 15 seasons. |