ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped one of his patented “Woj Bombs” on Monday evening, blindsiding the entirety of the NBA world by announcing that Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers had parted ways. The move came a little less than two weeks after the franchise’s stunning collapse against the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs as they blew a 3-1 series lead to fall in seven games.
Rivers immediately becomes the most experienced head coach in the free agent market and will be one of the most sought after candidates. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, both the New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers reached out to Rivers about their respective vacancies, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears.
New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers have already reached out to former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers in regards to their head coach openings, sources told @TheUndefeated.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 28, 2020
The Clippers opening sets up yet another domino that’ll likely need to fall before other jobs are filled. The previous top candidate on the market, Ty Lue, now likely becomes a frontrunner for the Clippers position after serving as an assistant with the team this season. Another darkhorse candidate in Sam Cassell, who also served as an assistant with the Clippers this season, will be in the running for the Clippers job and could also see an expanded role should Lue secure the head coaching position.
The Pelicans still are down the totem pole of head coach vacancies, ranking behind better win-now situations in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Houston. As a result, they will likely need to sit back and let those vacancies fill before being able to secure their next head coach.
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