Pacers Rumors: Terry Stotts 'Believed to Be a Candidate' If Nate Bjorkgren Is Fired

The Portland Trail Blazers and Terry Stotts mutually agreed to part ways Friday after the team's first-round playoff exit Thursday, but a new opportunity could be around the corner for the veteran coach.

"Stotts is believed to be a candidate in Indiana should the Pacers make a change," Jason Quick and Shams Charania of The Athletic reported.

Nate Bjorkgren just completed his first year as head coach of the Indiana Pacers, but the organization has not provided any guarantees he will be back after a 34-38 season.

"Nate and I will have a long conversation over many days on what he needs to improve on," team president Kevin Pritchard said last month, per Bob Kravitz of The Athletic. "He is our coach as of now, and I'll have a fair discussion with him."

The Pacers were eliminated in the play-in tournament after making the playoffs the previous five seasons. While injuries played a role, there were also issues behind the scenes.

"Bjorkgren's style of coaching and communication—on the court, in the locker room and in individual settings with players and staff—has often been the root of team turmoil this season," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

J. Michael and Nat Newell of the Indianapolis Star also reported there were issues in the locker room, saying the coach is a "micromanager and controlling."

It could lead to a change for the Pacers, who might want to replace a first-time coach with a more experienced option.

Stotts has led three different organizations across 13 years as a head coach, including the last nine with the Trail Blazers. He has a 517-486 career record while leading Portland to the postseason the last eight seasons. While that stretch included five first-round exits, the squad also reached the Western Conference Finals in 2019.

Star point guard Damian Lillard also provided kind words following the Stotts news.

"I feel down about it because I'm not much a fan of change," Lillard said. "And every memory of mine in this uniform includes him."

Indiana has plenty of talent when healthy with a core that includes Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Caris LeVert and T.J. Warren. A new coach and better injury luck could be what is needed to turn the squad into an Eastern Conference contender.