The NBA carousel has already seen coaches Taylor Jenkins, Michael Malone, and Mike Budenholzer fired, along with executives Calvin Booth and David Griffin, with more changes expected to come this offseason.
Thus, HoopsHype has gathered the latest intel on what happened behind the scenes that led the New Orleans Pelicans to part ways with Griffin in favor of Joe Dumars, what’s next for the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets in their front offices and on the sideline, plus more updates on changes expected for the Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia 76ers.
New Orleans Pelicans
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Coming off the second-worst season in New Orleans franchise history (21-61), significant changes were coming for the Pelicans.
The first set of dominoes fell as Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson fired former executive David Griffin after making the playoffs twice in six seasons during his tenure and officially hiring Joe Dumars as the franchise’s new lead executive.
Griffin wanted to fire coach Willie Green earlier this season but was denied by ownership, league sources told HoopsHype.
With Dumars taking over as lead Pelicans executive, he’s expected to retain Green as head coach in New Orleans, league sources told HoopsHype.
Green has guided the Pelicans to the playoffs in two of his four seasons as head coach, including a 49-win campaign last season, tied for the second-highest win total in franchise history. This season, injuries ravaged the Pelicans across the roster.
It’s also worth noting that when Dumars was an executive for the Detroit Pistons, he hosted Green for two workouts and nearly drafted him in the second round in 2003.
Green has also maintained the support of Pelicans ownership, league sources told HoopsHype. Ownership’s support comes amid reported potential interest from the Phoenix Suns in their coaching vacancy if Green became available due to his strong ties to franchise star Devin Booker from their time together when Green was an assistant coach in Phoenix.
Amid Green’s expected return, assistant coaching changes on his staff are likely, league sources told HoopsHype.
Associate head coach James Borrego is expected to be in the mix for coaching openings this summer, including the Phoenix Suns, league sources told HoopsHype. Had Griffin remained with the Pelicans, there was a strong expectation that he would’ve fired Green and named Borrego the next head coach, league sources told HoopsHype.
Former assistant coach Dan Geriot left to become Iona’s head coach towards the end of the regular season, leaving a vacant spot.
In addition, don’t be surprised as Dumars builds out his front office to see Scott Perry, his former confidant with the Detroit Pistons, and Milwaukee Bucks executive Ryan Hoover, who also has a strong relationship with Dumars from Detroit, in the mix to join the Pelicans.
It’s also worth noting that Perry was with the Orlando Magic when Green finished his career with that franchise as a player.
Phoenix Suns
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Following the dismissal of former head coach Mike Budenholzer, the Phoenix Suns are expected to have an extensive, wide-ranging coaching search.
Several coaching candidates are expected to be in the mix, including potential first-time NBA head coaches, including Cleveland Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant, Houston Rockets assistant coaches Royal Ivey and Ben Sullivan, Miami Heat associate head coach Chris Quinn, Dallas Mavericks assistants Sean Sweeney and Jared Dudley, etc.
Bryant helped Cleveland earn the best record in the East (64-18) while reuniting with Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell, whom he previously helped develop with the Utah Jazz.
Ivey’s stock is hot coming off South Sudan’s performance in the Olympics and his continued success as part of Ime Udoka’s staff with the Rockets. Ivey also has a strong relationship with Kevin Durant, but the Suns star is expected to be traded this summer.
Sullivan has worked as an assistant under Udoka, Joe Mazzulla, Mike Budenholzer twice, and Gregg Popovich while developing a reputation for developing shooters.
Quinn met with the Lakers, Cavaliers, and Hornets last season.
Sweeney nearly became head coach of the Pistons before the organization went with J.B. Bickerstaff this past offseason.
Dudley, a former Suns forward, has been an assistant coach on Jason Kidd’s staff in Dallas since the 2021-22 campaign.
Former head coaches Mike Brown and James Borrego are also expected to draw consideration for Phoenix’s coaching opening.
Brown ended Sacramento’s 16-year playoff drought in 2023 as Kings coach.
Borrego had back-to-back seasons in Charlotte, where the Hornets won 10 more games than the previous season before he went to the Pelicans as an associate head coach.
BYU coach Kevin Young could also garner interest after being in the running for the Suns’ job last offseason and was a favorite of star Devin Booker as an assistant coach. Young was a strong candidate to become head coach of the Brooklyn Nets before Jordi Fernandez got the job last offseason.
Another interesting subplot amid Phoenix’s coaching search is the future of general manager James Jones, who delivered the news along with Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein to Budenholzer that he was out as coach.
Jones is on an expiring contract, and the belief is that his future is murky in Phoenix.
Sacramento Kings
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Heading into the Play-In Tournament, Sacramento Kings executive Monte McNair is on the hot seat, league sources told HoopsHype.
After ending Sacramento’s 16-year playoff drought and winning NBA Executive of the Year during the 2022-23 season, the Kings missed the playoffs last season after going 1-1 in the Play-In Tournament and now find themselves back in the Play-In Tournament again despite adding six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan in the offseason, firing coach Mike Brown, and acquiring two-time All-Star Zach LaVine at the trade deadline.
During the season, Sacramento lost assistant coach Luke Loucks, who became Florida State’s head coach, and former assistant general manager Wes Wilcox recently left to join the University of Utah men’s basketball program as general manager, which signaled alarms around the league that more changes could be coming for the Kings.
Should McNair’s tenure in Sacramento end, many in league circles have pointed to former Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth as a potential candidate to monitor.
If McNair and Sacramento part ways, the Houston Rockets have been mentioned as a potential landing spot. McNair worked for the Rockets from 2007-2020.
Meanwhile, interim coach Doug Christie has gone 27-24 since taking over for Brown. Christie is said to be liked by Kings governor Vivek Ranadive and has support from former Kings teammate and executive Vlade Divac.
It’s worth noting Divac has been around the team more lately, as The Athletic’s Sam Amick previously noted, which has league personnel wondering if Divac could return to a more prominent role in the organization with McNair on the hot seat.
Denver Nuggets
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After former Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth and coach Michael Malone consistently butted heads, their tenures ended just before the end of the regular season.
Nuggets interim coach David Adelman has since guided Denver to a 3-0 record to finish the season, earned the fourth seed in the West, and has a real chance to keep the job going forward, league sources told HoopsHype.
Adelman has earned the support of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and other core members of the franchise.
Recently, Adelman publicly supported his franchise star’s candidacy for MVP by saying, “If Jokic doesn’t win MVP, it will be the greatest season of all time to not win MVP.”
Last summer, Adelman interviewed with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Charlotte Hornets for their coaching positions. Two years ago, Adelman also met with the Toronto Raptors.
Minnesota Timberwolves assistant general manager Matt Lloyd has been floated within league circles as a potential candidate to become Denver’s next general manager.
Lloyd is former Nuggets executive Tim Connelly’s right-hand man with the Timberwolves. It’s worth noting that Connelly and Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke remain very close.
Last summer, Lloyd was heavily in the mix to become the lead executive for the Charlotte Hornets before Jeff Peterson ultimately got the nod.
Philadelphia 76ers
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While Daryl Morey publicly stated he and coach Nick Nurse are both returning to Philadelphia next season, there’s an expectation that Nurse’s assistant coaching staff will see changes this offseason, league sources told HoopsHype.
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