NBA Rumors: Nets' Mike D’Antoni Drawing Interest From Celtics, Blazers, Magic

The Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic have expressed interest in hiring Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Mike D'Antoni, according to ESPN's Jordan Schultz.

Any team looking to hire D'Antoni will have to wait, with Schultz adding the Nets won't sign off on any interviews until their playoff run is over.

D'Antoni's track record largely speaks for itself. He helped revolutionize the NBA offensive game with his "Seven Seconds or Less" Phoenix Suns squads. He also got the Houston Rockets to the brink of the NBA Finals in 2018.

His runs with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers were somewhat forgettable, but that was partially due to circumstances outside of his control. The Knicks have historically been a mess under the watch of James Dolan, while he had to navigate the fraught Kobe Bryant/Dwight Howard dynamic during his first year in L.A.

Because of his experience as a head coach, nobody will be surprised if D'Antoni's time on the Brooklyn bench is brief. And at 70, the clock is ticking if he still wants another opportunity.

Because of his age, the Magic don't make a ton of sense.

Orlando is embarking on a long-term rebuild after having traded away Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic ahead of the 2021 deadline. D'Antoni would probably speed along the development of the Magic's young players, but he might not be willing to sign on with a franchise that's at least a year or two away from playoff contention.

For that reason, the Blazers and Celtics seem to be far better fits. In both cases, it will likely take a particularly adept coach to get a flawed roster to the next level, too.

Portland has struggled to build a title contender around Damian Lillard, exiting the playoffs in the first round for the fifth time in five seasons. Boston, meanwhile, has two dynamic young stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum but not a whole lot else in terms of challenging the best in the Eastern Conference.

Much like how he maximized the talent on the Rockets, he could do the same for the Blazers or Celtics.