NBA Lottery Reform Headed for Board Vote; Jenkins’ Bucks Contract Tops $10 Million; Thibodeau Seeking Return; Portland Reviews Nearly 20 Coaching Candidates
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The NBA’s 3-2-1 draft-lottery proposal remains the front-runner as the league prepares for a Board of Governors vote in a few weeks, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick. League officials and general managers are still fine-tuning the plan and clarifying how specific scenarios would be handled before the measure goes to a formal ballot.
Clarification on traded picks
Team executives have questioned whether the proposed limits on consecutive high selections would apply to picks acquired via trade. Under the draft rules being considered, a club would be barred from winning the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years or landing a top-five pick three years in a row with its own selections. For now, the league’s position is that those restrictions would not extend to traded first-rounders, meaning a team could secure the top selection in consecutive drafts if the second pick was obtained from another franchise.
Jenkins’ contract in Milwaukee
New Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins signed a long-term deal worth well above $10 million annually, Amick reports. The figure places Jenkins comfortably in the NBA’s top salary tier for coaches.
Thibodeau plotting a comeback
Tom Thibodeau, out of the league since last season and now 68, is actively pursuing another head-coaching opportunity. League sources told The Athletic he is looking for the right situation and would not rule out a return to the Chicago Bulls.
Blazers expand search
Portland Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon and general manager Joe Cronin have assembled a candidate list approaching 20 names as they search for a new head coach. The organization has not provided a firm timeline for making a hire. Reports that Dundon intends to limit the coach’s salary to $1.5 million remain unverified; team officials have pushed back on that figure. The league’s current lowest known head-coaching salary is believed to be the $2 million earned by Sacramento’s Doug Christie.
The Board of Governors is expected to vote on the lottery reforms later this month, while coaching moves around the league continue to take shape.
Source: Hoops Rumors
