The decision on who will be the next head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers may have drawn closer.
The Blazers have requested permission to meet with Jeff Van Gundy, currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Chris Haynes:
Portland Trail Blazers have requested permission to meet with Los Angeles Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy as he has emerged as one of the finalists for their head coach opening, league sources tell me.
The Blazers have been linked to several potential
coaches, mostly consisting of current NBA assistants, over the past several weeks, but the 64-year-old Van Gundy is one of the biggest names to emerge. He served as the head coach of the New York Knicks from 1996-2001 and head coach of the Houston Rockets from 2003-2007. Following his stint with the Rockets, Van Gundy called games for ESPN and ABC until 2023.
He consulted for the front office of the Boston Celtics during their 2023-2024 NBA Championship season before returning to the sideline where Van Gundy has coordinated the Clippers’ defense for the past two seasons as an assistant to Ty Lue. Under Van Gundy, the Clippers had the third-rated defense in the league during the 2024-2025 season. They slid all the way to the 18th-rated defense this season as the Clippers failed to make the playoffs.
