New NBA Rumors Reveal Terry Stotts, Micah Nori, More Among Trail Blazers HC Candidates

The Portland Trail Blazers reportedly are casting a wide net for their coaching search, but a handful of names are starting to emerge as candidates.

Per NBA insider Marc Stein, the Blazers have "expressed interest" in Minnesota assistant Micah Nori. Lakers assistant Greg St. Jean and former Golden State assistant Terry Stotts are also in the mix, according to Stein.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported last week that the Blazers hope to interview "upwards of 30 coaches" for the head coaching gig. Fischer noted that Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel and Denver Nuggets assistant coach Jared Dudley as possible candidates.

Nori has been a candidate for a handful of jobs in recent years, including the New York Knicks vacancy last summer. He's been in Minnesota since 2021 and helped the Timberwolves reach back-to-back Western Conference finals.

The 52-year-old has been an assistant in the NBA since 2009 and could finally get a chance to serve as a head coach for the first time.

St. Jean was on the Lakers' staff from 2019-2021, helping the team win a title in 2020. He then served as an assistant for the Mavericks (2021-2023) and an assistant for the Suns (2023-2024). He returned to Los Angeles in 2024.

If the Blazers are seeking experience, they need not look much further than the 68-year-old Stotts. He's been an NBA coach in some capacity since 1992 and has had three different stints as a head coach.

He was Portland's head coach from 2012 to 2021, where he led the Blazers to the playoffs in all but one season of his tenure.

While Portland might be searching far and wide for its next head coach, Fischer reported in April that new owner Tom Dundon hopes to spend just $1 million to $1.5 million on the team's next head coach, so the Blazers might not land a top coach on the market.