NBA Rumors: Ex-Rockets HC Mike D'Antoni Expected to Be HC of 76ers or Pacers

Former Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni may be headed to the Eastern Conference. 

D'Antoni is likely to take one of the head coaching vacancies with the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers, according BasketballNews.com's Chris Sheridan.

The four-year Rockets coach announced he would not return to Houston after the team were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA playoffs. The 69-year-old earned his second NBA Coach of the Year award when he started in Houston in the 2016-17 season and led Houston to the fourth-most playoff wins in the league (28) during a four-year span.

D'Antoni's high-tempo offense ran without a center for much of this season, so it would be interesting to watch how his style of play would incorporate All-Star center Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. The Sixers front office is familiar with D'Antoni, who served as an assistant to departed coach Brett Brown in 2015 and coached current general manager Elton Brand. 

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported Wednesday afternoon that Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Tyronn Lue remains in the mix for the 76ers job. Billy Donovan, the former coach of the Oklahoma Thunder, was the third candidate before he accepted the same job with the Chicago Bulls.

The Pacers parted ways with coach Nate McMillan last month after Indiana was swept by the Miami Heat in the first round of NBA playoffs. He coached the team from the 2016-17 season and led them to a 183-136 record, the third-most wins in team history. Last week, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that "the expectation is D'Antoni will be hired by the Indiana Pacers." 

In Indiana, D'Antoni would inherit a roster that boasts Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon. Oladipo missed much of the season recovering from a ruptured quad tendon and has one year remaining on his contract before he hits free agency. 

D'Antoni has never brought a team to the NBA Finals, and amid a number of coaching jobs that he has been linked to this offseason, it looks like his next chance will come in Philadelphia or Indiana.