Checking In On NBA’s Offseason Coaching Changes

With the NBA draft just two-and-a-half weeks away, a pair of teams are still without a head coach.

The Wizards, who opted not to bring back Scott Brooks after he spent five years at the helm in D.C., were said to be conducting second interviews with finalists last week, meaning they should be close to making a decision. Wes Unseld Jr., Darvin Ham, and Charles Lee are among the team’s remaining candidates.

The other team with a vacancy is New Orleans. Having parted ways with Stan Van Gundy after just one season, the Pelicans are seeking a head coach who can better connect with their young players, including star forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Lee, a finalist for the Washington job, is also still in the mix for the Pelicans’ position too, with Willie Green and Fred Vinson among the other candidates receiving serious consideration.

Five other teams made coaching changes since the regular season ended. The details on those completed searches are as follows:

• Boston Celtics: Hired Ime Udoka to replace Brad Stevens (transitioned to front office role).
• Dallas Mavericks: Hired Jason Kidd to replace Rick Carlisle.
• Indiana Pacers: Hired Rick Carlisle to replace Nate Bjorkgren.
• Orlando Magic: Hired Jamahl Mosley to replace Steve Clifford.
• Portland Trail Blazers: Hired Chauncey Billups to replace Terry Stotts.

Technically, the Hawks also named a new permanent head coach this offseason, since Nate McMillan only held the interim role up until last week. However, his promotion was long expected, and Atlanta didn’t conduct any sort of search before announcing that McMillan would keep the job.

We’ve been keeping an eye on the Bucks‘ situation throughout the postseason, since there was a sense Mike Budenholzer‘s job would be in danger if Milwaukee failed to make a deep playoff run. It’s possible Budenholzer could still be replaced if the Bucks lose the next two games in embarrassing fashion, but the team is currently three games away from a title, so it’s safe to assume the head coach’s seat isn’t nearly as hot as it was a month ago.

The rest of the NBA’s teams have had plenty of time to make a coaching change if they felt the need to do so. It’s not out of the question that one more summer surprise could be on the way (maybe Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich abruptly retiring after winning Olympic gold with Team USA?), but the odds are against it. At this point, we’re assuming the other 21 teams are happy with their current coaches and won’t be making changes prior to the start of the 2021/22 season.