NBA Rumors: Cavs, Kenny Atkinson Agree to 5-Year Contract as HC after Warriors Stint

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Kenny Atkinson have reportedly agreed to a five-year contract to become the team's next head coach, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski first reported the team decided to hire the Golden State Warriors assistant, although the two sides were in negotiations over a contract.

The development of young forward Evan Mobley was reportedly a factor in their decision.

The Athletic's Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd reported earlier in the morning the Cavs were "hoping" to have a new head coach before the 2024 NBA draft gets underway Wednesday. Atkinson and New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego had emerged as the finalists.

"Borrego, sources said, was the front-runner as of last week, until Cleveland's front office met with Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert on Wednesday," per The Athletic. "Atkinson's candidacy gained considerable momentum after the meeting between Gilbert and team executives."

From the outset, Borrego and Atkinson were positioned as the standout candidates to replace J.B. Bickerstaff. They boast similar profiles as offensive specialists with previous experience as NBA head coaches.

Borrego had a .458 winning percentage in his four years with the Charlotte Hornets and guided them to the play-in tournament in 2021-22. Atkinson went .383 in his four seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, which doesn't tell the full story of how well he did to rebuild a franchise starting from scratch when he arrived.

When it comes to Cleveland, no question looms larger than the future of Donovan Mitchell.

The Athletic reported the Cavs are preparing a four-year, $209 million offer to the five-time All-Star. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto previously reported on June 12 the expectation among "several" NBA executives was that Mitchell will re-sign.

Atkinson is in a somewhat tricky position because the nature of his job hinges so much on what Mitchell decides.

If the 27-year-old doesn't want to re-sign, then Cleveland might have little choice but to trade him since he'll be a year out from free agency. The Cavs sans Mitchell would still be a playoff contender, but they'd clearly take a step backward.

Were he to commit his future to the organization, Atkinson would be tasked with delivering immediate results. Anything short of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2025 would probably be deemed a disappointment.

With the trio of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, one would think there's enough to make this opportunity attractive regardless of what happens with Mitchell.