Since the Portland Trail Blazers exited from the 2026 NBA Playoffs two weeks ago they’ve been dogged by questions relating to their head coaching position. Interim Head Coach Tiago Splitter guided the Blazers to a 42-40 record during the regular season. Splitter took over following the arrest and suspension of former headman Chauncy Billups due to federal gambling charges. Right now the Blazers have two coaches, one suspended, one in limbo. Speculation has them searching for a third as we speak.
Today Jake Fischer in The People’s Insider [subscription required] reported more on that search, confirming previous updates and adding some new details. Tom Dundon, the controlling owner of the Blazers since March 30, 2026, is reportedly gathering information on coaches at various levels in the NBA and beyond.
Fischer affirmed pretty strongly that Splitter is not the odds-on favorite to retain the position:
While interim coach Tiago Splitter remains under consideration after going 42-39 and steering the Blazers to their first playoff berth in five years, sources with knowledge of the situation continue to say it’s unlikely that the Brazilian lands the job in a full-time capacity.
Fischer also tabs the number of candidates the Blazers are fishing among as “upwards of 30”. He affirms that some candidates have turned down the opportunity already:
Yet sources say that a handful of NBA assistant coaches whom Portland has requested to speak with have already declined to partake in the process, largely due to Dundon’s unconventional approach in his first month-plus since taking over the franchise and persistent reports about the low-end salary Portland’s eventual selection will be offered.
I know of two veteran coaches who resisted Dundon’s early outreach that we’ve been writing about mid-April: Tom Thibodeau and Michael Malone. Sources say both insisted that they did not want to speak with the Blazers in any capacity while Splitter was still coaching the team. Malone, of course, has since taken the North Carolina job. Thibodeau, meanwhile, very much wants to get back onto an NBA sideline…
We will bring you updates on this story as it rolls onward.
