Immediately after the Cleveland Cavaliers were knocked out of the NBA playoffs by the top-seeded Boston Celtics, the speculation started to swirl about the team’s intentions heading into the offseason, with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff on the hot seat and the franchise needing to make a decision on Donovan Mitchell’s future.
It didn’t take long for the Cavaliers to make a decision when it came to Bickerstaff’s immediate future, as the team chose to part ways with him, even though he expressed a desire to stay in Cleveland moving forward.
With the team firing Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers joined other teams around the league that were looking for a new leader on the sideline, including the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been linked to Mitchell as a potential trade target.
Along with the Lakers possibly targeting Mitchell in a blockbuster trade this summer, the Cavaliers have received permission to talk to assistant coach Micah Nori of the Minnesota Timberwolves about their coaching vacancy, who has also spoken with Los Angeles about it’s coaching job, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Cleveland Cavaliers received permission to interview Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori for franchise’s head coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Nori has also talked with the Lakers for vacancy there. Nori is an Ohio native. pic.twitter.com/pqmD4u802c
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 3, 2024
With Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch dealing with an injury that kept him sitting behind the bench during the Western Conference Finals, Nori stepped into the spotlight to help lead the coaching staff and, as a result, has become a head coaching candidate during the NBA offseason.
There’s no telling how quickly the Cavaliers want to hire a new coach or how extensive their coaching search may be this summer, but they definitely want to get the right person for the job, with Mitchell potentially on the fence about signing a contract extension.
NEXT: J.B. Bickerstaff Breaks Silence After Being Fired By Cavs
