The Portland Trail Blazers wrapped up exit interviews on Thursday without revealing whether interim coach Tiago Splitter will return next season, leaving the franchise’s bench future unsettled.
League insiders widely expect the club to part ways with Splitter, according to NBA reporter Evan Sidery, yet the organization has made no formal decision. Splitter told reporters before Game 5 of Portland’s first-round series that he has received no guidance on his status.
Reporting by Jason Quick of The Athletic indicates that finances are influencing the process under new owner Tom Dundon. The Blazers are said to be looking at coaching candidates who command smaller salaries, though a team source rejected talk of an $11.5 million ceiling and insisted the objective remains to hire the best available coach.
The manner in which Portland is conducting its search has also drawn criticism. League sources told The Athletic that contacting prospective coaches before the position is officially open is typically discouraged; one source described the ongoing stream of rumored candidates as “vicious.”
The deliberations come in the wake of former head coach Chauncey Billups’s October arrest in a federal probe into alleged illegal gambling tied to high-stakes poker games. Splitter, who took over after Billups’s departure, guided the Blazers to a 42-40 record and their first playoff appearance since 2021.
Source: Hoops Wire
