Trail Blazers coaching rumors: Portland hiring Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups as next head coach
Three weeks after parting ways with Terry Stotts, the Trail Blazers have reportedly found their next head coach.
Portland will hire Clippers assistant coach Chauncey Billups, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, who reported that Billups was offered the job on Friday night. The 44-year-old will jump up to the top seat on the Trail Blazers’ bench after serving under Tyronn Lue in his first season on an NBA coaching staff.
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Billups emerged as one of Portland’s top candidates early in its search, and he earned an endorsement from Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard. After the Trail Blazers announced Stotts would be leaving the organization, Lillard told The Athletic’s Jason Quick and Charania that he liked both Billups and Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd, who quickly took his name out of the running.
“Portland’s a first-class organization and will have great candidates for its head coaching job, but I’ve decided not to be one of them,” Kidd told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski earlier this month. “Whoever they choose will have big shoes to fill from Terry.”
Kidd has reportedly reached an agreement with the Mavericks to be the team’s head coach, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
