One day after seeing their season end in the first round for the fourth time in the last five years, the Trail Blazers have begun a search for their next head coach.
Portland and coach Terry Stotts have reportedly mutually agreed to part ways, in a move first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and confirmed by the team. Stotts had just completed his ninth season with the franchise, making the playoffs eight times.
As the Blazers look for new leadership, star point guard Damian Lillard is expected to have significant input in helping to choose a replacement for Stotts, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Lillard’s No. 1 target? Lakers assistant Jason Kidd, according to Haynes.
Lillard posted a seemingly cryptic Instagram post after Portland’s Game 6 loss, hinting at potential dissatisfaction with the caption, “How long should I stay dedicated?”
The Blazers have reportedly already zeroed in on other potential candidates. Per Wojnarowski, the list includes: Jeff Van Gundy, Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni, Michigan’s head coach Juwan Howard and Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups.
Stotts leaves as the second-winningest coach in franchise history, though he seldom was able to translate regular season success into deep postseason runs. Portland advanced to the conference finals in 2019 but were swept by the Warriors. The team won four of their 12 playoff series under Stotts, but only had home-court advantage for three of them.
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