Will Mike D’Antoni stay in Brooklyn?
The Blazers, Celtics and Magic have expressed interest in hiring the Nets assistant coach, according to ESPN’s Jordan Schultz.
However, teams looking to take on the former Knicks head coach will have to wait.
The Nets will reportedly allow D’Antoni to interview for other coaching positions only after their playoff run is over.
Brooklyn currently leads the Bucks 2-0 in the conference semifinals. Game 3 in the second-round series is set for Thursday.
D’Antoni’s move to the Nets to work under his former Phoenix star Steve Nash was somewhat surprising due to his longtime career as a head coach with the Nuggets, Suns, Knicks, Lakers and most recently the Rockets — where he ran a small ball team, maximized James Harden’s talents and nearly reached the NBA Finals in 2018.
D’Antoni, who’s won 10 playoff rounds but has never been to the NBA Finals as a head coach, was previously an assistant in Portland in the 2000-01 season. The Blazers, led by Damian Lillard, have failed to break through in the playoffs; since Lillard entered the league, they’ve been eliminated in the first round five times, including four of the last five years. Portland reached the Western Conference final two years ago but was swept by Golden State.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have promising young stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but lack a defensive blueprint. Brad Stevens just moved from the bench to the front office after a first-round loss to the Nets.