• Loading stock data...
Friday, September 12, 2025
Tuned In is Almost Sold Out! Limited Tickets Remain!

The NBA Coaching Carousel Is Running Off-Schedule

One coach and one head of basketball operations were fired Monday.

Grizzlies Coach
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The NBA’s coaching carousel is operating off its regular trajectory this season. 

The regular season concluded on Sunday, with Monday serving as the league’s Black Monday, where head coaches learn of their immediate termination. 

But the two biggest jobs in the NBA have already opened and it could be months before they are filled. 

Both the Grizzlies and Nuggets shockingly fired their coaches the past two weeks despite both teams being in the playoff mix. The Grizzlies play Tuesday in the play-In tournament against the Warriors with the winner getting a first-round matchup against the Rockets, while the Nuggets secured the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and will face the Clippers. 

The Nuggets fired longtime coach Michael Malone on April 8 with three regular season games left, while simultaneously deciding not to renew general manager Calvin Booth’s contract. Booth and Malone had feuded for years despite winning the 2023 NBA title together. This year’s team still has Nikola Jokic, who is going for his fourth MVP award in five years. 

The Malone news came a week after the Grizzlies fired Jenkins despite a .539 winning percentage over five seasons, which came with three playoff appearances. 

Jenkins had his own tension with general manager Zach Kleiman, who remade his coach’s staff over the summer. In July, the Grizzlies hired six new assistant coaches, while retaining just two from Jenkins’ staff the prior season. One of those hires was Tuomas Iisalo, the Grizzlies current interim coach, who was hired to revamp the team’s offense after having significant success coaching in Europe. 

With both teams primed for potentially deep playoff runs, it could be a month or more before either job is permanently filled. Both teams will be led by interim coaches in the playoffs, and both interim coaches—David Adelman in Denver and Iiasalo in Memphis—are expected to be serious candidates for the full-time roles.

The Kings fired coach Mike Brown in December and interim coach Doug Christie has guided the team into the Play-In Tournament, where they will face the injury-plagued Mavericks with the winner facing the loser of Grizzlies–Warriors. 

The lone coaching news of the weekend was that the Trail Blazers extended coach Chauncey Billups’s contract after the former NBA champion improved the team by 14 wins from a year ago. Billups was in the final guaranteed year of his contract.  

I’m just so happy, with what we’ve done and where I think we can go,” Billups said. “So much promise here. I’m pumped about it.”

There were two firings Monday, and neither was a surprise. The Suns fired coach Mike Budenholzer after a disastrous lone season in Phoenix, as the team went 36–46 despite carrying the largest payroll in NBA history. Budenholzer was asked on Thursday about his future after the Suns’ were eliminated and said he had no update.

It’s raw,” Budenholzer said. “We just lost. It’s been a tough season. There’s been no conversations.” Mat Ishbia is now seeking his third coach after buying the team in early 2023 for $4 billion. 

And the Pelicans fired head of basketball operations David Griffin on Monday morning. Head coach Willie Green’s fate is yet to be determined, according to ESPN.

Green went 21–61, which was the second worst record in Pelicans’ history, but was ravaged by injuries to stars such as Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy among others. Green was asked about his status after the team’s loss to the Thunder in the regular season finale and had no news on his fate. 

I haven’t had any discussions, any talks yet,” Green said. “I didn’t do great. I have to take full ownership of where we are as a team. We failed. I failed.” 

This story was updated with the firings of David Griffin and Mike Budenholzer.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mar 3, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) warms up prior to the game against the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center.
Sponsored

Hornets Cancel Sports Betting Night Vs. Heat Over Terry Rozier Tie-In

Terry Rozier is under federal investigation for point-shaving in a 2023 game when he was on the Hornets.
Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of a Wilson basketball and the Dallas Wings logo during the game between the Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center.

Democratic Women’s Caucus Urges WNBA to End CBA Stalemate

The league and WNBPA must reach an agreement by Oct. 31.

Paramount-WBD Merger Would Create Sports Superpower

The companies’ combined sports offerings would rival ESPN.
Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks in a press conference during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center.

Silver Says Free Highlights Are an Issue As NBA Begins $77B Deal

Silver called basketball a “highlight-based sport.”

Featured Today

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”
Dawn Staley

Dawn Staley Says She Would Have Left South Carolina for Knicks

Staley says she would have made the NBA leap “for women.”
Andy Reid
August 21, 2025

Andy Reid Office Shooting Went Unreported for a Year

Reid was inside at the time but wasn’t injured.
Inter Miami bench
August 21, 2025

Inter Miami Post-Red Card Phone Coaching May Have Been Legal

Javier Mascherano appeared to continue coaching through a call from the stands.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
August 1, 2025

Belichick Bump Creating Record UNC Ticket Prices

The cost of seeing the NFL legend’s college coaching debut is soaring.
July 28, 2025

Deion Sanders Had Bladder Removed Due to Cancer, Is Ready for Season

Sanders had his bladder removed in May.
July 28, 2025

Bulls Extend Billy Donovan After Rejecting Knicks Advances

The Bulls finished 39–43 for the second straight season.
Mike Brown
July 2, 2025

Knicks Land on Mike Brown After Monthlong Coach Search: Reports

New York still owes Tom Thibodeau $30 million.