In the search for the coaching candidate most willing to work for exposure, the Blazers are still scouring the market for eager suitors to take the reins of their roster.
Shockingly, not many clear options are stepping up.
As a result of their reluctance to pay livable wages, the Blazers are not looking at marquee free agent coaches, but assistants. On Sunday, longtime NBA beat writer Marc Stein reported a couple of names, including a former Laker, who Portland is considering.
League sources tell The
Stein Line that the Blazers, meanwhile, have expressed interest in Minnesota assistant coach Micah Nori in addition to previously reported candidates Jared Dudley (Denver) and Hetzel
In response to that report, Portland-based NBA reporter Sean Highkin added a current Lakers coach to the mix of potential names in Greg St. Jean.
St. Jean has been with the purple and gold across two stops. He was part of Frank Vogel’s staff in 2019-20, helping the Lakers to a title in the bubble.
When Jason Kidd departed for Dallas, St. Jean joined him, forming a relationship with Luka Dončić. He would eventually join Vogel again briefly in Phoenix, but that staff lasted just one year with the Suns before being fired.
At that point, he returned to LA to reunite both with Luka and the Lakers. He also served as an assistant on the Slovenia national team last summer, acting as a sort of liaison for the Lakers.
He’s become an influential voice among the current coaching staff and would certainly be a notable loss if he does go to Portland. That being said, until the Blazers start operating like a real franchise, it’s hard to know how serious anyone is going to consider the offer to be head coach.
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