New NBA Rumors on 'Top Candidate' for Mavs, Blazers HC Openings to Replace Jason Kidd, Splitter

While he didn't land the gig with the Chicago Bulls, Micah Nori reportedly is still in the mix to become a head coach this offseason.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Minnesota Timberwolves assistant is "a top candidate" for both the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers. Stein added that Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook is also a finalist for the Blazers' head coaching job.

Along with Nori, Dallas is also considering Houston assistant Royal Ivey and veteran head coach Terry Stotts, who is currently an assistant with the Golden State Warriors.

Nori has been an assistant coach in the NBA since 2009, working with the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons before becoming the lead assistant in Minnesota.

Nori, who has helped turn the Timberwolves into a legit Western Conference contender over the last few years, has been in the mix for head coaching jobs for a while now, being considered for the New York Knicks job, among others, last offseason.

Considering the Blazers reportedly had a list of candidates that was almost 20 coaches long, the fact that Nori is a finalist shows just how highly he is viewed around the league.

Lashbrook, Portland's other finalist, is just 34 years old, but has worked under some great head coaches. He was an intern and later the video coordinator for the Philadelphia 76ers from 2014 to 2018 and then took on a role in player development.

The Celtics then hired him for the same role in Boston, but he was named the head coach of the Maine Celtics, the team's G League affiliate, for the 2024-25 season.

For the 2025-26 campaign, Lashbrook was an assistant on Joe Mazzulla's staff.

The Mavs are looking to find a new head coach after the team and Jason Kidd decided to part ways. The Blazers lost head coach Chauncey Billups at the beginning of the season, and Thiago Splitter took over as interim head coach. Splitter, who led Portland to the playoffs for the first time since 2021, was hired as the Chicago Bulls head coach on Monday.