NBA rumors

Doc Rivers will be the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rivers will sign a five-year deal with Phila.

Rivers joins the 76ers after seven seasons as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.

The news was reported by ESPN.

Doc Rivers has emerged as the frontrunner for the Philadelphia 76ers head coaching vacancy, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc Stein.

The former Clippers coach recently met with the 76ers ownership and GM Elton Brand.

One of the top prospects of the upcoming NBA Draft, LaMelo Ball, has withdrawn from the combine.
Lonzo’s younger brother did not interview directly with teams.

Sources: LaMelo Ball has withdrawn from the remainder of the NBA combine. Ball participated in a media session and the standard league interview this week, but did not interview directly with teams.

— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) September 30, 2020

Doc Rivers will meet with the Philadelphia 76ers to discuss their head coaching vacancy, as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The 76ers are also believed to be considering Mike D’Antoni and Tyronn Lue.

The Los Angeles Clippers have no clear-cut No. 1 candidate to replace Doc Rivers and sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic that the decision to part ways with Doc Rivers was not made with another coach “waiting to be hired”.

Rivers was already head coach when Steve Ballmer purchased the team in 2014. Clippers assistant Ty Lue and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy are among the candidates for the job, reportedly.

Tyronn Lue was interviewed by the 76ers on Tuesday.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach made also a tour of 76ers facilities in Camden.

Per Philadelphia Inquirer, As of Sunday, Lue and former Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni were the remaining candidates for the job that has been open since Brett Brown was fired on Aug. 23. Sources said the job was D’Antoni’s to turn down.
However, the Sixers spoke Monday to Doc Rivers’ representatives shortly after the head coach was fired by the Clippers.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Clippers and Doc Rivers mutually parted ways as a result of “an accumulation of philosophical differences through the years and, especially, recent weeks” rather than “an impulsive overreaction to the organization’s early playoff exit.”

The two sides ultimately decided they had differing visions of how the Clippers should move forward.

LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer spoke to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George before making a decision on Doc Rivers, according to ESPN.

However, in the end it was ultimately Ballmer’s decision and the conversations with Leonard and George didn’t really have an influence on what he had in mind about moving on from Rivers, per ESPN.

Doc Rivers did not expect the firing by the Los Angeles Clippers after seven seasons together.

Per LA Times, While the Los Angeles Clippers announced the departure of Doc Rivers as a “mutual decision,” Rivers was surprised the franchise wanted to move on.
Rivers had at least some support internally despite blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs.
Rivers became head coach of the Clippers in 2013.

The Rockets do have interest in Rivers, a person with knowledge of the team’s thinking said, as reported by Jonathan Feigen.

Rockets expecting and likely still plan to begin requesting permission to speak with candidates or scheduling meetings by Wednesday or Thursday.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the New Orleans Pelicans have reached out to Doc Rivers for their head coaching vacancies after the coach parted ways with the Clippers.
Pelicans and 76ers are on the market for a head coach.

New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers have already reached out to former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers in regards to their head coach openings, sources told @TheUndefeated.

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 28, 2020

Doc Rivers leaves Los Angeles Clippers as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski.

Rivers has been coaching the Clippers since 2013.

Coach Doc Rivers is out with the Clippers, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 28, 2020

Victor Oladipo is looking to move on from the Indiana Pacers, sources tell Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Oladipo and the Pacers briefly discussed an extension before the start of the 19-20 season and will be a free agent in 2021.

Ty Lue will interview with the Philadelphia 76ers for their head coach position on Tuesday, as reported by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Lue must wonder if it’s worth interviewing for a #Sixers job that is D’Antoni’s to turn down | Pompey https://t.co/F3AMSWcvCR via @phillyinquirer

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) September 27, 2020

Mike D’Antoni is considered the favorite for the job and has met with ownership and Elton Brand.

Gordon Hayward is expected to opt in of his contract with the Boston Celtics for next season.
The forward has a contract worth $34.1MM for the 2020-2021 season.

Per ESPN, The Celtics head into the offseason with a group that, for the most part, should return. Hayward has a hefty player option for next season that he will likely pick up. All of the other core members of Boston’s rotation will be under contract for at least next season.

Jerami Grant is expected to opt out of his $9.3MM deal with the Denver Nuggets to become free agent.

Per Denver Post, Grant is due $9.3 million next season if he decides to opt into the final year of his current contract, according to hoopshype.com’s salary database. A league source suggested Grant could command anywhere from $14 million to $16 million annually over several years.

A little more than $44 million in salary obligations will come off Denver’s books this offseason with the contracts for Paul Millsap ($30.3 million) and Mason Plumlee ($14.0 million) both expiring. There should be room to give Grant a raise, but maybe not enough to keep all three with Jamal Murray’s five-year, $170 million contract also kicking in.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond is likely to exercise his player option for next season worth $28.7 million, sources told Chris Fedor of cleveland.com.

Drummond is not currently attending the Cavs’ voluntary workouts, though he remains engaged with the team.

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mike D’Antoni is ‘the guy the [76ers] ownership group wants’ for their head coaching job.

Another candidate is Tyronn Lue who’s scheduled to interview for the job on Tuesday, Pompey reports.

Former New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell Demps has agreed to join the Utah Jazz as an assistant coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Demps is making a transition to coaching by joining the Jazz coaching staff. He is reuniting with Quin Snyder as they worked together in the then-called NBA D-League in Austin from 2007 until 2010.

The Philadelphia 76ers could pursue James Harden either via trade or in free agency in 2022, according to John Clark of NBC Philadelphia.

The 76ers are pursuing Mike D’Antoni as head coach, who decided not to explore talks with the Houston Rockets on a new contract. D’Antoni is considered the front runner for Philly’s job, according to different sources.

“I’m hearing one of the reasons along with coaching that Sixers have a lot of interest in Mike D’Antoni is feeling with some in organization that he could help lure James Harden to Philly”, Clark writes.

The Atlanta Hawks are hiring Landry Fields as an assistant GM, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Fields, 32, was the general manager of the Austin Spurs in the NBA G League. The Stanford alum played five years in the NBA with the Knicks and Raptors.

According to Shams Charania, Billy Donovan’s deal with the Chicago Bulls is for four years, $24M-plus.

Terms on Billy Donovan's Chicago Bulls head coaching deal: Four years and $24 million-plus, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 24, 2020

New Sacramento Kings GM Monte McNair confirmed Luke Walton as head coach for next season.

Per ESPN, “I’ve got to know him the last few days; we’ve had some good conversations,” McNair said. “I’ve heard great things. So far I think we’ve had a great rapport. Luke’s going to be our coach next year. I’m really excited to work with him. I think we’re aligned with our vision and we’re gonna start implementing it.”
Walton is the team’s 10th coach since the Kings last made the playoffs in Rick Adelman’s final season in 2005-06. Sacramento went 31-41 in Walton’s first season at the helm.

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said that Nate Bjorkgren has been interviewed by Indiana Pacers for their coach openings.
Bjorkgren is Nurse’s assistant coach in Toronto.

Toronto assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren has interviewed for the Indiana Pacers job, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse confirms on @SiriusXMNBA

— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) September 23, 2020