Terry Stotts Reportedly Drawing Interest From Magic After Steve Clifford Exit

The Orlando Magic are reportedly interested in hiring former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts to replace Steve Clifford as their next head coach.

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported on Orlando's interest in Stotts, who mutually parted ways with the Blazers on Friday after nine seasons. Clifford and the Magic parted ways Saturday.

The Magic went 96-131 in Clifford's three seasons with the franchise, making the playoffs each of his first two years before a 21-51 record in 2020-21. Orlando is headed toward a multiyear rebuild, having traded Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier ahead of the deadline this season.

Stotts, 63, would be a bit of an odd choice to coach a team with little hope of contending for the next three or four seasons. The closest thing to a rebuild Stotts has coached came in Portland, where he inherited a team that already had LaMarcus Alridge and was on the verge of drafting Damian Lillard. 

The Magic are starting at the very foundation of their roster. Their roster features some promising young talent but no players who appear to be future All-Stars. Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac have flashed high-level skill but are both coming off catastrophic injuries. Wendell Carter Jr. projects as a complementary piece and might not even be part of the future if Mo Bamba's late-season improvement sticks.

It would stand to reason that the Magic would prioritize a younger coach, rather than one used to playing into May and June. However, if Stotts wants to continue coaching, he was pivotal in the development of Lillard and could provide a steady, proven hand to guide a group of unproven players. 

Stotts previously coached for the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, failing to last more than two full seasons in either stop. He has a 517-486 career record overall.