NBA Rumors: Trail Blazers 'Increasingly Expected' to Part With Terry Stotts
The Trail Blazers are "increasingly expected" to part ways with coach Terry Stotts this offseason, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick.
According to The Athletic, if Stotts can't “ 'pull a rabbit out of his hat' ” with "a playoff miracle," in their words, then Portland is expected to opt for a new coach.
If the team fires Stotts, it would reportedly look to hire a big-name, high-dollar coach, with names such as Lakers assistant Jason Kidd, Hawks interim coach Nate McMillan, 76ers assistant Dave Joerger and Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups floated as possible replacements.
Stotts has been with Portland since the 2012–13 season and recorded nearly 400 wins during his tenure with the Blazers. The Blazers missed the playoffs in Stotts's first year with the club but have made it in every subsequent season, advancing as far as the Western Conference finals in '18–19.
According to The Athletic, Stotts has less player support now than he did in years past. He also has just one year left on his contract.
Portland enters Wednesday night's game with the Cavaliers, 36–29, one game behind the Lakers for the No. 6 seed.
Check out the latest news and notes from around the NBA:
- Pacers head Nate Bjorkgren's future with the franchise is uncertain as the regular season nears an end. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
- The Bucks are expected to add Maccabi Tel Aviv guard Elijah Bryant. (Emiliano Carchia, Sportando and Roi Cohen, Sport5 Israel)
- Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton has no ligament damage to his left knee but will likely miss the rest of the season. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
- Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer will likely be let go unless the team goes on a deep playoff run. (Shams Charania and Sam Amick, The Athletic)
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• Prewitt: Do Triple-Doubles Really Matter?
