The NBA head coaching carousel, right now, seems like it won’t be too wild. There are currently only three head coaching jobs open around the league. The Charlotte Hornets surprisingly moved on from James Borrego, firing him after the team was bounced from the NBA Play-In Tournament for a second consecutive year in blowout fashion.
Unsurprising is the job openings with the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings. Los Angeles came into the season with championship aspirations, having a “Big 3” of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. They would have taken a season like the Hornets did, as the Lakers fell woefully short of expectations, not even making the Play-In Tournament.
The Kings became the sole owners of the longest playoff drought in NBA history, as they have missed the postseason 16 consecutive years. Luke Walton was fired earlier in the season and Alvin Gentry filled in on an interim basis. He was not retained, which isn’t surprising as the team didn’t improve under his watch.
There is a chance that other openings pop up in the coming weeks, as the Lakers are working hard to get Nick Nurse from the Toronto Raptors. They have also been linked to Quin Synder of the Utah Jazz, who could be looking for a new job as well.
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Doc Rivers has been mentioned as possibly leaving the Philadelphia 76ers. There is a chance that Gregg Popovich announces his retirement and steps down as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs as well.
As a result, we have already begun hearing some names connected to those job openings. Mark Jackson, Mike D’Antonio, Steve Clifford, and Mike Brown are the most prominently mentioned candidates for the jobs.
What are the best landing spots for those four coaches mentioned most in NBA rumors? Let’s take a look at each candidate and see which team is best for their next job.