The Portland Trail Blazers front office is in unfamiliar territory after the franchise mutually parted ways with head coach Terry Stotts after nine seasons. The change came following the Blazers first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets, which ended in a tightly contested six-game series.
An early frontrunner emerged in Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd after star Blazers guard Damian Lillard publicly praised Kidd as the candidate that he wanted Portland to pursue. Many questioned the potential hire given Kidd’s shaky past as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
In the end, it was clear both sides were going in different directions as Kidd publicly announced his removal from the Blazers head coaching search following Lillard’s comments which reportedly made Kidd uncomfortable in continuing to pursue the opportunity.
With the organization set to begin interviews in the coming weeks, here’s a look at some of the top candidates that general manager Neil Olshey and the Portland front office will be considering.