With the Houston Rockets hiring Stephen Silas to replace Mike D’Antoni as head coach, 29 of the 30 spots are filled.
The Oklahoma City Thunder is the one head coaching role in the NBA that has yet to be filled.
This offseason, nearly a third of the league has changed head coaches. There have been nine changes:
Former Thunder coach Billy Donovan parted ways with team, later signing with the Chicago Bulls. Doc Rivers parted from the Los Angeles Clippers and joined the Philadelphia 76ers; the Clippers replaced him with Tyronn Lue.
Tom Thibodeau signed with the New York Knicks on July 30, which technically was not the offseason, but it was the Knicks’ offseason.
Stan Van Gundy signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. Nate Bjorkgren became the the Indiana Pacers head coach. The Brooklyn Nets brought on Steve Nash.
Eight of the nine spots have been filled. Only the Thunder’s remains.
How much longer will it take? ESPN’s Royce Young tweeted that the search may not go on much longer, though he did not provide any further details.
I don’t think the Thunder’s search will go on too much longer. https://t.co/MfLZp8mctN
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) October 28, 2020
The Thunder may have had interest and lost out on coaches who joined other teams, but they now have all the leverage over a coach who wants to lead a team.
It’s just one of the major decisions Sam Presti and the rest of the Oklahoma City brass needs to figure out.
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