NBA coaching carousel – Pros, cons, what’s next for every open job

The NBA’s fourth head coaching job opened last month when the Phoenix Suns fired Mike Budenholzer after the first year of a five-year contract. Before that, the Denver Nuggets moved on from Michael Malone, along with general manager Calvin Booth, with less than a week to go in the regular season.

Denver’s decision came less than two weeks after the Memphis Grizzlies fired longtime coach Taylor Jenkins (Memphis has since removed the interim tag on coach Tuomas Iisalo.) The Sacramento Kings became the first franchise to fire its coach this season when the Kings dismissed Mike Brown amid a losing streak in late December.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs have named Mitch Johnson their new head coach, with Basketball Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich transitioning to a full-time role as the team’s president of basketball operations.

Will more jobs open over the next several weeks? Last season, seven teams changed coaches, including three — the Cavaliers, Lakers and Suns — that did so after making the playoffs.

Here’s our annual look at the NBA’s coaching carousel, with the pros and cons of each vacancy and who could fill them:

Open coaching jobs

Phoenix Suns

• 2024-25 record: 36-46 (No. 11 in West)

• Previous coach: Mike Budenholzer

• Lead executive: James Jones (hired in 2018)

Positive: Veteran talent

While owner Mat Ishbia’s proclamation less than a year ago that “26 out of 29” teams wouldn’t trade places with the Suns was way off base, the Suns still do — at least for now — have both Devin Booker and Kevin Durant on their roster, which is a pretty good place to start in terms of evaluating a coaching vacancy.

Beyond its stars, Phoenix has solid veteran depth in Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Nick Richards and Royce O’Neale, plus a couple of rookie finds in Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro that could form the core of a decent NBA rotation.

Negatives: Instability, plus lack of roster, monetary and draft flexibility

Where do we start?

Phoenix is headed toward its fourth coach in as many seasons after firing Budenholzer, who was hired with great fanfare last spring. Ishbia has owned the team for a little over two years and has already fired three coaches — not exactly an inspiring track record for whomever replaces Budenholzer.

Overall, the Suns are stuck in a multitude of ways. The team has traded control of its draft picks for the next several seasons and is well over the dreaded “second apron” of the NBA’s salary cap, creating a wildly expensive roster with few tools to improve it. There’s a chance Durant is traded this summer, after Phoenix flirted with the idea at the trade deadline, but it remains to be seen how much value the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer will have as he enters the final year of his contract. Durant will be looking for an extension at more than $60 million per season.

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The numbers behind Mike Budenholzer’s firing

Take a look at the key numbers to know after Mike Budenholzer was fired following one season with the Suns.

Who could get the job?

After weeks of interviews, ESPN’s Sham Charania reported Monday that the Suns’ search for their next head coach is down to two candidates, both from the Cleveland Cavaliers: associate coach Johnnie Bryant and assistant Jordan Ott.

Bryant has served as an assistant with the Utah Jazz (2012-20) and New York Knicks (2020-24), while Ott has worked for the Atlanta Hawks (2013-16), Brooklyn Nets (2016-22) and Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24).

After firing Budenholzer on April 14, new GM Brian Gregory has led a multiround hiring process that began with more than 15 candidates, sources told Charania. A group of five finalists — including Bryant, Ott, Miami assistant Chris Quinn, Oklahoma City assistant Dave Bliss and Suns assistant David Fizdale — had in-person interviews with team officials last week.

— Tim Bontemps

Hired jobs

Denver Nuggets

• 2024-25 record: 50-32 (No. 4 in West)

• Previous coach: Michael Malone (fired April 8; assistant David Adelman took over on interim basis)

• Lead executive: None (GM Calvin Booth, promoted in 2020, was also let go)

Positive: Championship-level talent

These kinds of jobs rarely come available. Nikola Jokic might lose out to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for this season’s Most Valuable Player award, but he’s nearly universally seen as the best player on the planet. Jamal Murray is an elite pick-and-roll partner and, after struggling in the playoffs, is back to playing at a high level — over the summer with Team Canada and at the start of this season. Aaron Gordon is a versatile defender who fits perfectly next to Jokic at both ends, and Christian Braun has come on and had a terrific season, putting him into Most Improved Player consideration.

While the Western Conference is deep with contenders, Denver still arguably was set to enter the playoffs as a favorite behind Oklahoma City before Tuesday’s shocking news of Malone’s dismissal after 10 years and unparalleled success with the Nuggets. Whoever walks into this job will believe they can win a championship immediately.

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Shelburne details how Malone, Booth dissension led to exits

Ramona Shelburne reacts to the Nuggets firing head coach Michael Malone right before the playoffs.

Negatives: Limited financial and roster flexibility

Denver has never been known to open the checkbook to pay for coaches and executives, but that’s a secondary concern to the long-term constraints on trying to keep this team at a championship level. Like most longtime championship contenders, this is a franchise that has traded away a lot of draft picks and is locked in on long-term contracts. The good part about that is the team’s core players are all under contract for at least a couple more years. The bad? The roster has few means to improve and might not be good enough to get where Denver wants to go now.

Who got the job:

After serving as the interim coach since Michael Malone was let go last month, David Adelman, son of Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman, was promoted to head coach Thursday. The 44-year-old Adelman was Malone’s assistant for eight seasons and led the Nuggets to a Game 7 against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the postseason. He will be part of team owner Stan Kroenke’s vision of capitalizing on the prime years of superstar Nikola Jokic.

— Bontemps

• 2024-25 record: 34-48 (No. 13 in West)

• New coach: Mitch Johnson

• Previous coach: Gregg Popovich (transitioning to full-time role as president of basketball operations)

• Lead executive: RC Buford (promoted to CEO in 2019)

Positives: Thrilling young core, loads of assets

San Antonio is the definition of a stable and supportive organization with a history of strong ownership. The Spurs have drafted the Rookie of the Year in back-to-back years with potential superstar Victor Wembanyama and guard Stephon Castle. They have two lottery picks in this year’s draft, both theirs and the Atlanta Hawks, combined giving them about a 30% chance of getting a top-four pick. They own all their future draft picks, both first and second round, going forward and beyond this year have two additional first-rounders, nine additional second rounders, and first-round pick swaps with the Hawks in 2027, the Mavericks or Wolves in 2030 and the Celtics in 2021. The Spurs also traded for a franchise point guard, De’Aaron Fox, who is in position to sign a long-term contract extension later this year.

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Stephen A. reacts to Gregg Popovich stepping down as Spurs head coach

Stephen A. Smith details why he is happy that Gregg Popovich will still be in basketball as team president for the Spurs.

Negatives: Market size, ownership spending power, big shoes

Though San Antonio is a growing city, it still is one of the league’s smaller markets and has various effects on acquiring players, though the Spurs’ organization enjoys an excellent reputation. The ownership has paid just $5 million in luxury tax in the past 13 years and with big contracts coming for Fox and Wembanyama plus the new challenges that come with high payrolls, spending is something to monitor. That said, since the Spurs were last contenders they have taken on new deep-pocketed partners, including billionaire computer magnate Michael Dell and investment firm Sixth Street. There is also the challenge of coming behind Popovich, someone who won five championships and established a massive legacy over the previous 29 years.

Who got the job:

Johnson, who was named acting coach after Popovich suffered a mild stroke in November, now takes over head coaching duties on a permanent basis. Popovich had leaned on Johnson over the past several years, giving him increasing responsibility both in terms of preparation and in-game. Johnson has developed a strong relationship with Wembanyama already as well. Johnson led San Antonio to a 31-45 record in Popovich’s absence.

— Brian Windhorst

Memphis Grizzlies

• 2024-25 record: 48-34 (No. 8 in West)

• New coach: Tuomas Iisalo (hired on May 2)

• Previous coach: Taylor Jenkins (fired March 28; Iisalo took over on interim basis)

• Lead executive: Zach Kleiman (hired in 2019)

Positive: A promising young core

Despite suffering injuries throughout the season, the Grizzlies are still in the top five in the Western Conference standings, and with the league’s fifth-best net rating — trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets.

With Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis’ core is entering its prime, which should give the Grizzlies runway to contend for the rest of this decade. Kleiman has shown that he can find talented second-round and undrafted players, giving Memphis a deep and versatile roster behind that star talent.

One NBA executive said this is a team that, if things break right, is reminiscent of the Cleveland Cavaliers last season before Kenny Atkinson came in and the franchise improved this season. That’s the kind of boost Kleiman and the Grizzlies believe is possible.

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Shams breaks down what led the Grizzlies to fire Taylor Jenkins

Shams Charania joins “NBA Today” to detail why the Memphis Grizzlies parted ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins after six seasons.

Negatives: Small market, recent instability

Memphis is far from an NBA glamour market, and this team has had a lot of friction and uncertainty over the past year.

The Grizzlies fired virtually Jenkins’ entire coaching staff last summer, bringing in — among others — Iisalo and Noah LaRoche to fill it out. Then, not only was Jenkins dismissed Friday, but so was LaRoche, who hired several player development coaches.

Now, on to the roster. In addition to numerous injuries, the Grizzlies have had a series of off-court issues with Morant over the years. The team had mitigated Morant’s absence thanks to its other two stars, Jackson and Bane, its impressive depth and, until he was fired, Jenkins’ work on the sidelines.

Who got the job: Tuomas Iisalo

The expectation around the league was that Iisalo would get a long look for the job after the franchise moved on from Jenkins in late March. The Grizzlies brought him from Europe last offseason and put him on Jenkins’ staff, and he showed enough through the team’s final stretch of games and run to the first round. Iisalo is now the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history.

— Bontemps

• 2024-25 record: 40-42 (No. 9 in West)

• New coach: Doug Christie

• Previous coach: Mike Brown (fired in December; assistant Doug Christie takes over on interim basis)

• Lead executive: GM Scott Perry (hired on April 17 after Monte McNair parted ways with the team)

Positive: Veteran, ready-to-win talent

It’s hard to project Sacramento winning a title with its roster. But a coach taking over a team with Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk has a chance to be competitive in each game. That gives the Kings’ vacancy a boost, given the typical level of talent at open jobs.

With all of those players under team control for at least a couple of more seasons, there is some runway for them to play together, adding to the appeal for a new coach.

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Shams: Kings felt Mike Brown had ‘underperformed’

Shams Charania details the factors that led the Kings to fire coach Mike Brown after a disappointing start to the season.

Negatives: Small market, decades of instability

Here’s all you need to know about the Kings: Since moving to Sacramento in 1984, two coaches have had at least one full season with a winning record: Rick Adelman, who did it for eight straight seasons from 1999 to 2006, and Mike Brown the past two seasons. Sacramento has made the playoffs in three of the 33 seasons not coached by Adelman, underscoring the difficulty of this job.

Longtime NBA executive Scott Perry Perry now replaces McNair, who parted ways with the Kings following their elimination in the play-in tournament. The team had also seen the departure of assistant general manager Wes Wilcox, who took the GM job for the Utah Utes earlier this month. Another drawback is the club’s unwillingness to pay into the luxury tax, something owner Vivek Ranadive has avoided.

Who got the job: Christie is finalizing a multiyear contract to become the franchise’s next coach, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday. Christie has long-standing ties to the organization, going back to being a starter on those iconic teams of the early 2000s under Adelman, and he had done a solid job the past few months since taking over for Brown. Sacramento went 27-24 this season under Christie, ranking ninth in offensive efficiency during that span and going 13-10 in clutch-time games compared to 6-13 earlier in the campaign under Brown, according to ESPN Research.

— Bontemps