The Portland Trail Blazers are “unlikely” to bring back Tiago Splitter as the team’s full-time coach next year, according to a new report.
Splitter took over as the Blazers’ interim head coach for the team just one game into the season after Chauncey Billups was arrested in a federal gambling investigation and put on leave by the NBA. Splitter ended up coaching the team the rest of the season, posting an impressive 42-39 record as the Blazers’ interim head coach. He helped lead the team to a playoff spot for the first time in five seasons after they beat the Phoenix Suns in the Play-In Tournament for the No. 7 seed, though they ultimately lost in five games to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
Tiago Splitter May Not Return to Portland
Although Splitter led the Blazers to a playoff spot this year, there is no guarantee that new team owner Tom Dundon will bring him back next year.
According to Jack Fischer of The Stein Line Substack, Splitter is “unlikely” to be hired as the team’s full-time head coach next year.
“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
“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 wrote.
This isn’t totally surprising news, as there were recent reports suggesting that Dundon was already looking at other candidates for the job despite Splitter coaching his team in the playoffs. That is atypical of how NBA teams normally operate, as they usually don’t conduct a coaching search while they have someone in place. But Dundon, who is still getting his feet wet as the Blazers’ new owner, is doing things his own way, and it looks like the team is going to try to hire someone else, potentially paying them less than market value on a head-coaching contract.
Tiago Splitter Will Find a New Home
If the Blazers do not bring back Splitter next year, then he should have absolutely no problem finding a new home coaching an NBA team next year. There are several head-coaching vacancies available right now, such as with the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, and New Orleans Pelicans, while other teams could join that list following the conclusion of the NBA playoffs. If Splitter is not re-signed by the Blazers to a new contract, all three of the Bulls, Magic, and Pelicans would be wise to give him an interview and see if he’s a good fit for their teams, as he proved this year that he is an NBA-caliber head coach who knows how to win and get the most out of his team.
Even if Splitter doesn’t get a head-coaching gig in the NBA next year, it’s only a matter of time until it happens, as his performance in coaching this year for the Blazers was excellent, especially considering the circumstances of him taking the job on short notice. The Blazers appear to be making a serious misstep if they choose to go with someone else as expected, but their loss will be another team’s gain if and when he lands on his feet with another NBA team.
Tiago Splitter ‘Unlikely’ to Return as Blazers Full-Time Head Coach