Trail Blazers Narrow Head-Coaching Search to Three Finalists
trail-blazers-narrow-head-coaching-search-to-three-finalists
The Portland Trail Blazers have whittled their head-coaching search to three contenders, according to reporters Jake Fischer and Marc Stein. Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook and interim Blazers coach Tiago Splitter remain in the race.
Nori, Lashbrook and Splitter had already advanced to a short list of five candidates last month. Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy and Jazz assistant Mike Williams were also on that list but did not move on to the final stage, league sources told The Stein Line.
Portland’s timeline has been extended in part because owner Tom Dundon is simultaneously overseeing the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, who entered the Stanley Cup Final this week. While the Hurricanes pursue the championship, the Blazers’ coaching decision is expected to wait.
The franchise began vetting replacements before its season ended, even as Splitter guided the club through the first round of the playoffs. Chauncey Billups, who started the 2025-26 campaign on the bench, was arrested in October amid an illegal gambling probe and is not expected to return, though the team has not formally dismissed him.
Splitter took charge one game into the season and steered Portland to a 42-39 mark. The Blazers secured the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed by defeating Phoenix in the play-in tournament before falling to San Antonio in five games.
Some candidates were reportedly uneasy that Dundon initiated the search while Splitter was still coaching, and league chatter suggested the owner hoped to keep the new coach’s salary below typical market rates—claims the organization has disputed.
None of the remaining finalists have led an NBA team on a full-time basis. Nori and Lashbrook have never held a head-coaching role, and Splitter’s 81-game stint this season represents his first experience at the helm, potentially limiting their negotiating leverage.
Source: Hoops Rumors
