Hoops Rumors Originals

Longest-Tenured NBA GMs/Presidents

As is the case in the NBA’s head coaching ranks, a handful of long-tenured heads of basketball operations have been replaced in 2022, a result of some offseason front office shakeups.

Oddly, since we put together last offseason’s list of the league’s longest-tenured heads of basketball operations, all of the major front office changes have occurred in the Northwest Division. Thunder GM Sam Presti is the only lead basketball executive who retained decision-making autonomy in the Northwest, while the other four teams – in Portland, Denver, Minnesota, and Utah – all made changes.

Among those changes were Neil Olshey being let go by the Trail Blazers after nearly a decade at the helm and Tim Connelly departing the Nuggets (for the Wolves) after a nine-year stint with the team. Olshey and Connelly had been the NBA’s fifth- and seventh-longest tenured heads of basketball operations, respectively.

Although only one person holds a team’s head coaching job, that same team might carry a variety of front office executives with titles like general manager, president of basketball operations, or executive VP of basketball operations. In some cases, it’s not always which clear which executive should be considered the club’s head of basketball operations, or which one has the ultimate final say on roster decisions. That distinction becomes even more nebulous when taking into account team ownership.

For our list of the longest-tenured GMs/presidents in the NBA, we’ve done our best to identify the top exec in each front office, but if a situation isn’t entirely clear-cut, we’ve made a note below.

Here’s the list of the NBA’s longest-tenured heads of basketball operations, along with their respective titles and the dates they were hired or promoted:


  1. Gregg Popovich, Spurs (president): May 31, 1994
    • Brian Wright holds the general manager title, but Popovich ultimately has final say.
  2. Pat Riley, Heat (president): September 2, 1995
  3. Sam Presti, Thunder (GM/executive VP): June 7, 2007
  4. Bob Myers, Warriors (GM/president): April 24, 2012
  5. Masai Ujiri, Raptors (president): May 31, 2013
  6. Sean Marks, Nets (GM): February 18, 2016
  7. Kevin Pritchard, Pacers (president): May 1, 2017
  8. Jeff Weltman, Magic (president): May 22, 2017
  9. Travis Schlenk, Hawks (president): May 25, 2017
  10. Jon Horst, Bucks (GM): June 16, 2017
  11. Koby Altman, Cavaliers (GM): June 19, 2017
  12. Lawrence Frank, Clippers (president): August 4, 2017
  13. Mitch Kupchak, Hornets (GM/president): April 8, 2018
  14. Tommy Sheppard, Wizards (GM): April 2, 2019
    • Sheppard assumed the job on an interim basis on April 2, 2019. He was named the permanent GM on July 22, 2019.
  15. Rob Pelinka, Lakers (GM/VP): April 9, 2019
    • Pelinka has been the Lakers’ GM since February 2017, but was below Magic Johnson in the front office hierarchy until Johnson resigned on April 9, 2019.
  16. James Jones, Suns (GM): April 11, 2019
    • Jones began serving as the Suns’ co-interim GM alongside Trevor Bukstein in October 2018, but was named the lone, permanent head of basketball operations on April 11, 2019.
  17. Zach Kleiman, Grizzlies (executive VP): April 11, 2019
  18. David Griffin, Pelicans (executive VP): April 17, 2019
  19. Leon Rose, Knicks (president): March 2, 2020
  20. Arturas Karnisovas, Bulls (executive VP): April 13, 2020
  21. Troy Weaver, Pistons (GM): June 18, 2020
  22. Monte McNair, Kings (GM): September 17, 2020
  23. Rafael Stone, Rockets (GM): October 15, 2020
  24. Daryl Morey, Sixers (president): November 2, 2020
  25. Brad Stevens, Celtics (president): June 2, 2021
  26. Nico Harrison, Mavericks (GM/president): June 28, 2021
    • Owner Mark Cuban is also heavily involved in basketball decisions and ultimately has final say.
  27. Joe Cronin, Trail Blazers (GM): December 3, 2021
    • Cronin assumed the job on an interim basis on December 3, 2021. He was named the permanent GM on May 10, 2022.
  28. Danny Ainge, Jazz (CEO/alternate governor): December 15, 2021
  29. Tim Connelly, Timberwolves (president): May 23, 2022
  30. Calvin Booth, Nuggets (GM): May 23, 2022

Information from Basketball-Reference was used in the creation of this post.

Poll: Donovan Mitchell’s Future

When word first broke on July 1 that the Jazz had agreed to a blockbuster trade sending Rudy Gobert to Minnesota, reports from ESPN and The Athletic quickly clarified that Utah had no plans to trade Donovan Mitchell and intended to build its roster around the All-Star guard.

The reports made some sense. After all, there had been rumored tension between Gobert and Mitchell for years. Mitchell, who will turn 26 in September, is four years younger than Gobert and is on a slightly less pricey contract. If the organization was going to choose to move forward with one or the other, Mitchell seemed likely to be the pick.

On top of that, the return in the Gobert trade set up the Jazz for a quick pivot — they could incorporate reliable rotational role players like Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt and could conceivably flip some of the first-round picks they got from Minnesota for more pieces to complement Mitchell. Combining those assets with returning veterans like Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, and Rudy Gay would provide the Jazz with a solid base.

However, that plan was called into question almost immediately as trade rumors began to swirl around Mitchell. Eleven days after the Gobert trade was first reported, Adrian Wojnarowski stated that the Jazz were open to inquiries on Mitchell. It didn’t take long for the team to engage in discussions with the Knicks, and subsequent reports identified the Heat, Wizards, Raptors, Hornets, Hawks, and Kings as teams with varying levels of interest in the All-Star guard.

Just as a plan to retool around Mitchell could be justified, so too could a plan to pivot to a full-fledged rebuild. Having already traded away Gobert and Royce O’Neale for draft-heavy returns, the Jazz could go all-in on the fire sale by moving Mitchell, Bogdanovic, Beverley, and other veterans for more assets, loading up on draft picks, and charting a new course under CEO Danny Ainge and head coach Will Hardy, both of whom joined the franchise within the last year.

Taking that path would make sense for the Jazz if they have reservations about Mitchell’s ability to be a franchise player. And if that’s the case, it might be the right to move him, while he still has multiple years left on his contract and hasn’t hurt Utah’s leverage by asking for a trade and forcing the club’s hand.

Since that initial flurry of Mitchell trade rumors in July, the rumor mill has slowed down a little. By all accounts, the Jazz are asking for a massive return for Mitchell, seeking the same sort of haul of unprotected picks and solid players and contracts they were able to extract for Gobert.

If no team meets Utah’s asking price, this situation could play out in one of two ways — the Jazz, having already ventured part of the way down this road, could commit to that direction and lower their asking price for Mitchell, accepting the best offer on the table. Or they could shut down trade talks and enter the season with Mitchell on the roster, putting off the possibility of a deal until at least 2023.

Both approaches are risky. The Jazz won’t want to sell off an All-Star in his mid-20s for less than what he’s worth. But by hanging onto Mitchell, they’d run the risk of eventually being forced into trade talks on his terms down the road, should he ask out of Utah. And the closer we get to 2025 (when he can opt out of his contract), the more reluctant some teams may be to give up significant assets for Mitchell without assurances he’d re-sign.

We want to know what you think. How much longer do you expect Mitchell do remain in Utah? Will these trade talks culminate in a deal later this year, or will the Jazz end up retooling their roster around the guard like those initial reports suggested?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in!

Hoops Rumors Glossary: Veteran Contract Extension

An NBA team that want to re-sign a player before he reaches free agency can do so, but only at certain times and if his contract meets specific criteria.

Rookie scale extensions, which can be completed for former first-round picks between the third and fourth years of their rookie scale contracts, were the NBA’s most common form of extension in the past. But in its 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the league relaxed its criteria for veteran extensions, resulting in a significant increase in those deals in recent years. They’ve now overtaken rookie scale extensions as the league’s most frequently signed extensions.

[RELATED: 2022/23 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]

A veteran extension is any contract extension that tacks additional years onto a contract that wasn’t a rookie scale deal. Even if the player is still on his first NBA contract, he can technically receive a “veteran” extension if he was initially signed as a second-round pick or an undrafted free agent rather than via the league’s rookie scale for first-rounders.

Here’s a full breakdown of how players become eligible to sign veteran extensions, and the limits that come along with them:


When can a player sign a veteran contract extension?

A team that wants to sign a player to a veteran extension wouldn’t be able to simply complete that extension one year after the initial contract was signed. The team must wait a specified period of time before the player becomes extension-eligible, as follows:

  • If the player initially signed a three- or four-year contract: Second anniversary of signing date.
    • Note: The second anniversary date also applies if the player previously signed an extension that lengthened his contract to three or four total seasons.
  • If the player initially signed a five- or six-year contract: Third anniversary of signing date.
    • Note: The third anniversary date also applies if the player previously signed an extension that lengthened his contract to five or six total seasons.
  • If the player previously renegotiated his contract and increased his salary by more than 10%: Third anniversary of renegotiation date.

This set of rules has been complicated in recent years by the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the NBA to adjust its usual calendar during the 2019/20, ’20/21 and ’21/22 league years. For instance, the 2020 free agency period was delayed until November 21 instead of beginning on July 1.

Due to that delay, Pat Connaughton signed a three-year free agent contract on November 23, 2020, which would normally make him ineligible to be extended until November 23, 2022. However, the NBA adjusted that two-year waiting period to better reflect certain stages of the offseason rather than adhering to specific dates on the calendar.

As a result, Connaughton was able to sign a new extension with the Bucks this year on July 18. Similarly, Lakers star LeBron James became extension-eligible on August 4 this year after signing his previous extension on December 3, 2020.

Going forward, the usual two- and three-year waiting periods will once again apply. For instance, after signing a four-year extension on July 6, 2022 that lengthened his contract to six total seasons, Devin Booker will become extension-eligible again on July 6, 2025. Connaughton, whose new three-year extension lengthened his contract to four total seasons, will be eligible to sign another extension on July 18, 2024.

How many years can a player receive on a veteran extension?

A veteran extension can be for up to five years, including the year(s) remaining on the previous contract. The current league year always counts as one of those five years, even if an extension is agreed to as late as June 30.

For instance, when John Konchar signed an extension earlier this summer with the Grizzlies, he had two years left on his current contract, which ran through 2023/24. He added three extra years via the extension, maxing out at five years overall.

If a player signs a “designated” veteran extension, he can receive up to six total years, as we cover in a separate glossary entry. Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Nikola Jokic have all taken this route during the 2022 offseason after meeting the super-max criteria.

How much money can a player receive on a veteran extension?

The first-year salary in a veteran extension can be worth up to 120% of the salary in the final year of the player’s previous contract or 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary, whichever is greater. Annual raises are limited to 8% of the first-year extension salary.

When Terry Rozier signed an extension with the Hornets a year ago, he added four extra years to the one year and $17,905,263 remaining on his previous deal. Because that $17.9MM cap hit greatly exceeds the league’s estimated average salary, Rozier was eligible to earn up to 120% of his final-year salary in the first year of his extension. As such, his new contract begins this season with a salary of $21,486,316, with 8% annual raises from there.

Dorian Finney-Smith, on the other hand, was only earning $4,000,000 when he signed an extension with the Mavericks in February. A 20% raise on that amount wouldn’t have been worth Finney-Smith’s while, but he was eligible to receive 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary, which was $10,335,000 in 2021/22. As a result, Finney-Smith’s four-year extension with Dallas begins this season at $12,402,000.

In 2022/23, the NBA’s estimated average salary is $10,792,000, so an extension-eligible player earning less than that amount – such as Pelicans big man Larry Nance Jr. – would be able to sign an extension with a starting salary of up to $12,950,400.

A contract extension can’t exceed the maximum salary that a player is eligible to earn, so there are some instances in which a player won’t be able to get a full 20% raise on a new extension.

For instance, James’ new two-year extension is technically a maximum-salary contract, but his cap hit is this season is $44,474,988, which already exceeds the standard league-wide max. A full 120% raise on that figure would be $53,369,986, which will almost certainly exceed his maximum possible salary for 2023/24. The salary cap would have to increase to approximately $152.5MM for a raise of that size to be permitted, and currently the cap is only projected for $133MM.

Because a player’s own personal maximum salary on an extension is always at least 5% of his previous salary, James is assured of at least a 5% raise to $46,698,737 in the first year of his new deal. If the cap lands beyond its current $133MM projection, James’ raise could end up between 5% and 20%, since he’d be eligible for a starting salary worth 35% of next season’s cap.

Designated veteran extensions and renegotiated contracts have slightly different rules for salaries and raises than standard veteran extensions. You can read about those differences in our glossary entries on those subjects.

Can a player sign a veteran extension as part of a trade?

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement does allow for extend-and-trade transactions, but the rules governing them are more limiting than for standard veteran extensions.

A player eligible for an extension can sign one in conjunction with a trade, but he would be limited to three overall years and a starting salary worth 105% of the final-year salary on his previous deal. Subsequent annual raises are limited to 5% as well.

A player who receives an extension that exceeds those extend-and-trade limits becomes ineligible to be traded for six months. Conversely, a player who is involved in a trade becomes ineligible to sign an extension for six months if the extension would exceed the extend-and-trade limits.

Thaddeus Young‘s two-year extension with the Raptors is an example of a recent extension that didn’t exceed the extend-and-trade limits — he took a pay cut from $14,190,000 to $8,000,000 and the deal lengthened his contract to three total years. Because that extension fell within the extend-and-trade parameters, Young could be dealt this month if Toronto wanted to do so.

Conversely, even though James’ new extension only covers three total years and will only start at 105% of his previous salary (assuming the current cap projection of $133MM is accurate), it exceeds the extend-and-trade limits by virtue of the 8% raise he’ll receive between the 2023/24 and ’24/25 seasons. As a result, he’s ineligible to be traded until February 18, which will almost certainly be after the 2023 trade deadline has passed.

An extension-eligible player can’t be extended-and-traded between the end of the season and June 30 if there’s a chance he could become a free agent that July. That rule applies to both veterans on expiring contracts and veterans with team or player options that have yet to be exercised.

For example, while Young is eligible to be traded now by the Raptors, he couldn’t have been dealt in conjunction with his extension in June.

What are the other rules related to veteran extensions?

There are many more minor rules and guidelines related to veteran extensions, including several involving bonuses and option years. A full breakdown can be found in Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ, but here are some of the notable ones most likely to come into play:

  • A contract with an option can be extended if the player opts in or the team picks up the option.
  • A contract with an option can also be extended if the option is declined, as long as the extension adds at least two new years to the deal and the first-year salary isn’t worth less than the option would have been. The only exception to this rule involves an early termination option — a contract with an ETO can’t be extended if the ETO is exercised, ending the contract early.
  • A newly-signed extension can contain a player or team option, but not an early termination option.
  • If a contract contains incentive bonuses, a veteran extension must contain the same bonuses. The bonus amounts can be increased or decreased by up to 8%, but they must still be part of the deal. An extension also can’t contain bonuses that weren’t part of the original contract.
  • If a contract includes an unearned trade bonus, it doesn’t necessarily have to be applied to the extension. If the team and player elect not to carry over the trade bonus to the extension and the player is dealt before the extension takes effect, the application of the bonus would ignore the extension.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

A previous version of this post was published in 2019.

Community Shootaround: Collin Sexton’s Future

After suffering a torn meniscus 11 games into last season and missing the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign, and with only a couple of rival teams with cap room, restricted free agent Collin Sexton has found himself in a tough spot. The Cavaliers, who drafted Sexton No. 8 overall in 2018, have reportedly offered him a deal worth close to $40MM over three years, which certainly seems low for a scorer of his caliber, and that’s why he hasn’t accepted it.

Despite the negotiating impasse, the Cavs are projecting “a lot of confidence” that Sexton will be on the roster in ’22/23, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said a few weeks ago.

Sexton is reportedly seeking “starting guard money” with an annual value of $20+MM per season, and Fedor previously reported the two sides were discussing a deal in the range of $72MM over four years prior to last season. Multiple factors seem to have convinced the Cavs to change that price tag.

Sexton’s injury and dry market, the addition of Caris LeVert, and the team’s proximity to the luxury tax line (roughly $13MM below) are all reportedly part of Cleveland’s thinking in extending a lower offer. The Cavs would also have to make a roster move to bring back Sexton, as the 15-man roster is already full, but that isn’t as big of a deal as the other factors.

If the Cavs don’t increase their offer, and Sexton decides against accepting it, he could also sign his $7.2MM qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2023, at which point he’d be able to test his value on the open market.

At 23 years old, Sexton has plenty of time to continue to improve. He was one of the NBA’s most underrated scorers from 2019-21, averaging 22.5 PPG and doing so efficiently (.474/.376/.828 slash line, including a 56.7% true shooting percentage).

However, there are some holes in his game. Standing just 6’1″, Sexton has been a high-volume, high-usage scorer, but he isn’t a point guard, averaging just 3.3 APG over his career, and since Darius Garland is also only 6’1″, having two small guards starting in the backcourt is an awkward fit on both ends of the court. Sexton also isn’t a great rebounder, averaging only 3.0 RPG in 218 NBA games despite a heavy workload (32.9 MPG).

The Cavs were the NBA’s worst team in Sexton’s first three seasons, and while that isn’t necessarily on him, the team did perform better with him off the court in each of those seasons. It also doesn’t help his cause that Cleveland found its most success during his tenure when he only played 11 games, going 44-38 and reaching the play-in tournament.

In theory, the team’s offense should definitely be better with him back, but the defense might decline, and that’s where the Cavs shined last season, ranking fifth in the league in defensive rating. Defensive concerns have led some to suggest that Sexton might be better served as a sixth man, but I think Sexton is a better player — and much better shooter — than LeVert, the other primary candidate for the second guard spot, so I wouldn’t go that far, but I understand the logic to some extent.

I believe Sexton is worth at least $15MM per season, and it’s unfortunate the way things have played out, because he’s a hard worker and said to be a good teammate. Having said that, the Cavs seem to hold all the leverage right now.

We want to know what you think. Where will Sexton end up in ’22/23? Will he accept a seemingly lesser offer for more long-term security? Will an unexpected suitor emerge? Or will he simply accept his qualifying offer and test the unrestricted free agent waters in 2023? Head to the comments section and share your thoughts on Sexton’s future.

Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches

As we detailed on Wednesday, 2022 has been a somewhat eventful year on the NBA’s coaching carousel, with four teams hiring new head coaches this offseason.

All four clubs that have made changes since the 2021/22 season began were replacing coaches who had ranked among the league’s top 12 longest-tenured head coaches. Quin Snyder (Jazz) and James Borrego (Hornets) were the fourth- and sixth-longest tenured head coaches, respectively, before they were replaced this spring. Luke Walton (Kings) had ranked 10th, while Frank Vogel (Lakers) was 12th.

Given the turnover in the head coaching ranks, it’s time we update our list sorting the NBA’s 30 head coaches by when they were hired. Here’s the current breakdown of the league’s longest-tenured head coaches by team:


  1. Gregg Popovich, Spurs: December 1996
  2. Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
  3. Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
  4. Michael Malone, Nuggets: June 2015
  5. Mike Budenholzer, Bucks: May 2018
  6. Dwane Casey, Pistons: June 11, 2018
  7. Nick Nurse, Raptors: June 14, 2018
  8. Monty Williams, Suns: May 2019
    • Note: Williams remained a Sixers assistant through the end of Philadelphia’s playoff run.
  9. Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies: June 2019
  10. J.B. Bickerstaff, Cavaliers: February 2020
  11. Tom Thibodeau, Knicks: July 2020
  12. Steve Nash, Nets: September 3, 2020
  13. Billy Donovan, Bulls: September 22, 2020
  14. Doc Rivers, Sixers: October 3, 2020
  15. Tyronn Lue, Clippers: October 20, 2020
  16. Stephen Silas, Rockets: October 30, 2020
  17. Mark Daigneault, Thunder: November 2020
  18. Chris Finch, Timberwolves: February 2021
  19. Nate McMillan, Hawks: March 2021
    • Note: McMillan was an interim head coach until being named the permanent coach on July 8, 2021.
  20. Rick Carlisle, Pacers: June 24, 2021
  21. Chauncey Billups, Trail Blazers: June 27, 2021
  22. Ime Udoka, Celtics: June 28, 2021
  23. Jason Kidd, Mavericks: June 28, 2021
  24. Jamahl Mosley, Magic: July 11, 2021
  25. Wes Unseld Jr., Wizards: July 17, 2021
  26. Willie Green, Pelicans: July 22, 2021
  27. Mike Brown, Kings: May 2022
  28. Darvin Ham, Lakers: June 3, 2022
  29. Steve Clifford, Hornets: June 24, 2022
  30. Will Hardy, Jazz: June 29, 2022

While there are no surprises at the very top of this list, Budenholzer’s spot in the top five reflects how short the typical tenure for an NBA head coach is — he has moved that high despite having coached the Bucks for only four seasons.

Similarly, Bickerstaff has moved into the top 10 even though he was hired by the Cavaliers just two-and-a-half years ago

Hoops Rumors Glossary: Poison Pill Provision

The poison pill provision isn’t technically a term defined in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, the concept of a “poison pill” has colloquially come to refer to a pair of NBA concepts.

The first of those concepts relates to the Gilbert Arenas Provision, which we’ve explained in a separate glossary entry. When a team uses the Arenas provision to sign a restricted free agent with one or two years of NBA experience to an offer sheet, that team can include a massive third-year raise that’s often referred to as a “poison pill,” since it makes it more difficult for the original team to match the offer.

The second meaning of the “poison poll” is the one that has become more common – and more frequently relevant – in recent years. It relates to players who recently signed rookie scale extensions.

The “poison pill provision” applies when a team extends a player’s rookie scale contract, then trades him before the extension officially takes effect. It’s a rare situation, but it features its own set of rules, since extensions following rookie contracts often create a large gap between a player’s current and future salaries.

For salary-matching purposes, if a player is traded between the time his rookie contract is extended and the following July 1 (when that extension takes effect), the player’s incoming value for the receiving team is the average of his current-year salary and the annual salary in each year of his extension.

His current team, on the other hand, simply treats his current-year salary as the outgoing figure for matching purposes.

Let’s use Heat guard Tyler Herro as an example. Herro, who is currently viewed as both a trade candidate and an extension candidate, is set to earn $5,722,116 in 2022/23, the final year of his rookie scale contract. Any extension he signs would be significantly more lucrative. To illustrate our point, let’s assume he and the Heat agree to a four-year, $120MM rookie scale extension that would begin in ’23/24.

If the Heat decide after signing Herro to that extension that they want to trade him, the poison pill provision would complicate their efforts. From Miami’s perspective, Herro’s current-year cap hit ($5,722,116) would represent his outgoing salary for matching purposes. However, any team acquiring Herro would have to view his incoming value as $25,144,423 — that’s the annual average of the five years and $125,722,116 he has left when accounting for both his current contract and his (hypothetical) new extension.

As we explain in our glossary entry on the traded player exception, NBA rules dictate that over-the-cap teams must send and receive approximately the same amount of salary in any trade. So applying the poison pill provision to a player like Herro and creating a difference of nearly $20MM between how two trade partners account for him would make salary-matching far more difficult than usual.

The poison pill provision is one key reason why the Heat are unlikely to extend Herro until they’re fairly certain they won’t use him in a blockbuster trade. Without an extension in place, his current-year salary of $5,722,116 is both his outgoing and incoming cap hit for matching purposes.

Trades involving a player who recently signed a rookie scale extension are already rare. After all, those players are generally young, and a player who signed an extension is promising enough to have warranted a long-term investment. Those aren’t players that teams often trade. The poison poll provision further disincentivizes a deal involving one of those recently extended players by complicating salary-matching rules, making those trades that much more rare.


Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

Earlier versions of this post were published in 2012, 2018, and 2021.

Poll: Best NBA Head Coaching Hire Of 2022

As we outlined in detail earlier today, four NBA teams made head coaching changes this offseason. Those changes were as follows:

  • Charlotte Hornets: Hired Steve Clifford to replace James Borrego.
  • Los Angeles Lakers: Hired Darvin Ham to replace Frank Vogel.
  • Sacramento Kings: Hired Mike Brown to replace Alvin Gentry.
  • Utah Jazz: Hired Will Hardy to replace Quin Snyder.

The Hornets and Kings, two young teams looking to get back to the playoffs, took somewhat similar approaches in their hiring processes, landing on candidates who have plenty of previous head coaching experience and who have led lottery teams to the postseason in the past.

Between them, Clifford and Brown have coached 1,200 NBA regular season games. And despite having underwhelming rosters in Charlotte and Orlando, Clifford has led his teams to the playoffs in four of eight seasons. Brown’s clubs made the postseason in six of his seven full seasons as a head coach.

The Lakers and Jazz, meanwhile, took a different path, hiring veteran assistants who are becoming head coaches for the first time.

It’s an interesting choice for the Lakers, given that they have a veteran roster and title aspirations, but they believe Ham – a former player himself – can command the respect of stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis and won’t back down from making tough, necessary rotation decisions.

As for the Jazz, their new head coach – who is known for his player development skills – will be the league’s youngest. Hardy’s hiring was perhaps the first obvious signal that the team would be charting a new course this summer. After trading away standout center Rudy Gobert, Utah is either headed for a full-fledged rebuild or intends to reshape its roster around young star Donovan Mitchell. Taking the former route would make some sense based on Hardy’s skill set and the fact that he received a five-year contract.

Based on what you know about these four teams and their new coaches, we want to know which of this offseason’s head coaching hires you liked the best. Obviously, the expectations won’t be the same for all four coaches, so we’re taking potential long-term success and tenure into account, rather than just projecting which team will have the best record in 2022/23.

Which of these four coaches will be the most successful in his new job? Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

2022 NBA Head Coaching Carousel Recap

Over the last couple months, NBA teams have been overhauling their rosters, signing free agents, making trades, and locking up their draft picks to contracts. Prior to the draft and free agency though, a handful of teams completed another major offseason change that shouldn’t be overlooked — four NBA clubs named a new head coach.

Here’s a recap of this offseason’s head coaching changes and a brief look at how they played out:


Charlotte Hornets

  • Hired: Steve Clifford (story)
  • Replaced: James Borrego (story)
  • Contract details: Three-year deal (two guaranteed seasons, third-year team option)
  • Other candidates who reportedly interviewed or received consideration: Kenny Atkinson, Mike D’Antoni, Darvin Ham, Charles Lee, Terry Stotts, Sean Sweeney, David Vanterpool, Frank Vogel

While it didn’t receive as much fanfare as some of this spring’s other head coaching searches, the Hornets’ hiring process was easily the most eventful of the bunch. After dismissing Borrego due to Charlotte’s defensive shortcomings and a failure to make its first and only play-in game competitive in either of the last two seasons, the team embarked on a hunt for an experienced replacement.

Atkinson, D’Antoni, and Stotts were reported to be finalists, with the decision coming down to Atkinson and D’Antoni. The Hornets offered Atkinson the job and he accepted, but eight days later, word broke that he had reneged on the agreement between the two sides, sending Charlotte back to square one.

Rather than returning to D’Antoni or Stotts, the Hornets pivoted in another direction, opting for a reunion with Clifford, who coached the club from 2013-18.

By hiring not just a former NBA head coach but one who coached the Hornets only four years ago, the organization certainly opened itself up to criticism for going the “retread” route. But Clifford had more success in his five seasons in Charlotte than any other head coach has in recent team history. Since reentering the NBA in 2004, Charlotte has made the playoffs just three times since then, and two of those postseason berths came during Clifford’s tenure.


Los Angeles Lakers

  • Hired: Darvin Ham (story)
  • Replaced: Frank Vogel (story)
  • Contract details: Four-year deal
  • Other candidates who reportedly interviewed or received consideration: Kenny Atkinson, Adrian Griffin, Mark Jackson, Charles Lee, Terry Stotts

Vogel’s firing had been rumored since the first half of the 2021/22 season, so it came as no surprise when he was quickly let go following the end of the regular season. He led the Lakers to a championship less than two years ago, but the team’s 33-49 showing in ’21/22 was so disappointing that he became an obvious fall guy.

The Lakers were linked to a number of high-profile candidates during their search – they reportedly had interest in Nick Nurse, Doc Rivers, Quin Snyder, and Juwan Howard – but eventually focused on a handful of more realistic options.. They narrowed their finalists to Ham, Stotts, and Atkinson, then chose Ham, the only one of the three without any prior head coaching experience.

A veteran assistant who was on the Lakers’ staff from 2011-13 and then plied his trade under Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta and Milwaukee, Ham should bring a fresh perspective to a roster that didn’t mesh well last season. L.A. will be hoping he can make the same sort of immediate impact that former players and first-time head coaches Ime Udoka and Willie Green did last season in Boston and New Orleans, respectively.


Sacramento Kings

  • Hired: Mike Brown (story)
  • Replaced: Alvin Gentry (story)
  • Contract details: Four-year deal
  • Other candidates who reportedly interviewed or received consideration: Steve Clifford, Mike D’Antoni, Darvin Ham, Will Hardy, Mark Jackson, Charles Lee

Gentry, who replaced Luke Walton during the first half of the 2021/22 season, previously stuck around following interim stints in Detroit and Phoenix to become those teams’ permanent head coaches. But after leading the Kings to an underwhelming 24-41 record to close out the season, he was unable to replicate that feat in Sacramento.

One report early in the Kings’ search process indicated they were seeking out a candidate who had experience turning a lottery team into a playoff club and who could improve Sacramento’s defense. The team ultimately landed on Brown, who achieved the first of those requirements in Cleveland and has a reputation as a defensive-minded coach.

Brown’s previous head coaching stints have been a mixed bag. He led the Cavs to an outstanding 272-138 (.663) regular season record from 2005-10, but the team only made two deep playoff runs during that time — once to the Eastern Finals and once to the NBA Finals. He then had brief stints with the Lakers (71 games) and Cavs again (82 games) before serving as an assistant in Golden State for several years.

His time spent honing his coaching skills as part of the Warriors’ championship teams will be put to the test in Sacramento, where he’ll be tasked with getting the Kings back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.


Utah Jazz

  • Hired: Will Hardy (story)
  • Replaced: Quin Synder (story)
  • Contract details: Five-year deal
  • Other candidates who reportedly interviewed or received consideration: Jerome Allen, Johnnie Bryant, Sam Cassell, Adrian Griffin, Alex Jensen, Charles LeeJoe Mazzulla, Chris Quinn, Lamar Skeeter, Terry Stotts, Sean Sweeney, Jason Terry, Frank Vogel, Kevin Young

Speculation about Snyder’s future began well before the Jazz were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, but he didn’t formally step down until June 5, over a month after Utah’s season came to an end.

Getting a late start on their coaching search didn’t dissuade the Jazz from exercising a patient approach and casting a wide net. Danny Ainge and Justin Zanik interviewed 14 candidates for the position, reportedly focusing on coaches who were highly regarded for their player development skills and defensive acumen.

Utah’s eventual choice was an interesting one. Hardy came from Ainge’s old team in Boston, though the two didn’t overlap at all — Hardy only joined the Celtics’ coaching staff in 2021 after serving as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio for several years.

The 34-year-old Hardy becomes the NBA’s youngest active head coach and received a five-year contract, the longest deal of any of this year’s new head coaches. The long-term agreement signals the Jazz have confidence in him to lead the team for years to come, even – or perhaps especially – if they pivot to a rebuild by trading not only Rudy Gobert but Donovan Mitchell.

Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Projections For 2023/24

Under the NBA’s previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, the values of various salary cap exceptions like the mid-level and bi-annual were established years in advance, but the league’s current CBA tweaked how those exceptions are calculated.

Rather than being determined ahead of time, the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions – along with several other cap-related figures and exceptions – are dependent on the movement of the salary cap from year to year. If the cap increases by 5% from one league year to the next, the exceptions increase by the same rate.

As such, we don’t know yet exactly what those exceptions will be worth in 2023/24, but we can make an educated estimate. When the NBA updated its salary cap estimates on June 1, the league projected a $136MM cap for the ’23/24 season. That’d be a 9.98% increase on this year’s $123,655,000 cap. We’ll round up to the maximum allowable 10% and assume the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions would also increase by 10%.

[RELATED: Maximum Salary Projections For 2023/24]

This season’s projections are further complicated by the fact that the new CBA calls for an additional increase of 7.5% to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and a one-time 30% bump to the room exception. Meanwhile, the taxpayer mid-level exception has been reduced to a flat $5MM.

Based on a $136,021,000 cap, here’s what the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions would look like in 2023/24:


Mid-Level Exception

Year Standard MLE
Taxpayer MLE Room MLE
2023/24 $12,405,000 $5,000,000 $7,723,000
2024/25 $13,025,250 $5,250,000 $8,109,150
2025/26 $13,645,500 $8,495,300
2026/27 $14,265,750
Total $53,341,500 $10,250,000 $24,327,450

The standard mid-level exception is available to over-the-cap teams that haven’t dipped below the cap to use room and don’t go over the tax apron. It can run for up to four years, with 5% annual raises. Once a team uses the standard/non-taxpayer MLE, that team is hard-capped at the tax apron for the rest of the league year.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Mid-Level Exception]

The taxpayer mid-level exception is for in-the-tax teams, or teams that want the flexibility to surpass the tax apron later. It can run for up to two years, with 5% annual raises.

The room exception is for teams that go under the cap and use their space. Once they’ve used all their cap room, they can use this version of the mid-level exception, which runs for up to three years with 5% annual raises.


Bi-Annual Exception

Year BAE Value
2023/24 $4,516,000
2024/25 $4,741,800
Total $9,257,800

The bi-annual exception – which can be used for contracts up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one – is only available to teams that are over the cap and under the tax apron.

It can also only be used once every two years, which will disqualify the Sixers and Heat from using it in 2023/24 — Philadelphia and Miami are the only teams to use their BAEs in 2022/23.

Hoops Rumors’ 2022 NBA Free Agent Tracker

We’re now a month-and-a-half into the 2022 free agent period, and all but one of the NBA’s 30 teams have signed at least one free agent (the Pelicans are the only one that hasn’t). With training camps set to tip off next month, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this offseason.

To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.

A few notes on the tracker:

  • Some of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
  • Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in some cases those amounts will be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
  • Players who have reportedly agreed to training camp/Exhibit 10 deals won’t be added to the tracker until those deals become official.
  • A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker, in order to avoid any confusion.
  • If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

Our 2022 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”

The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.