Latest NBA hot seat intel: Jamahl Mosley, Doc Rivers among those linked to coaching carousel

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Latest NBA hot seat intel: Jamahl Mosley, Doc Rivers among those linked to coaching carousel

Brett Siegel, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Fri, Apr 10, 2026 ·

16 min read

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Latest NBA hot seat intel: Jamahl Mosley, Doc Rivers among those linked to coaching carousel appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The NBA coaching carousel is already in full swing, and we haven't even seen a change on the sidelines yet with the 2025-26 season coming to an end. This cycle has already begun with plenty of intel and news coming out of Chicago about major front-office changes, as well as Michael Malone opting to bypass the NBA coaching landscape to take the North Carolina collegiate opportunity.

Malone, who won the 2023 NBA Finals with the Denver Nuggets , decided to take the year off and work as a studio analyst for ESPN before pursuing other opportunities. Although he was already being linked to a few potential NBA openings this upcoming offseason, UNC's persistence and Malone's shift in perspective sealed the deal.

He is now the second highest-paid head coach in the NCAA behind only Bill Self at Kansas.

Billy Donovan was being pursued by North Carolina before the university turned their focus to Malone, so what does his future look like now in Chicago , especially after a major shakeup in the front office?

Aside from Donovan and the Chicago Bulls , there are other spots around the NBA that many are already pointing to as the prime coaching carousel spots, most notably Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks .

Does Doc Rivers already have a foot out the door?

The disconnect that has existed in Milwaukee this season has the NBA as a whole watching the Bucks closely, not just because Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely to be traded in the summer but because a complete franchise reset is on the horizon.

While executive Jon Horst still has the support of ownership, trading Giannis will lead to a complete roster overhaul and to what many around the league are expecting — Rivers to be replaced.

There is a growing sense among league personnel that the 2025-26 season will be Rivers' last as the head coach of the Bucks . Whether or not this means Rivers will move into some sort of front-office role should he be relieved of his duties on the sidelines is unknown.

Amid all the drama surrounding Antetokounmpo and Rivers' lack of success since taking over in the middle of the 2023-24 season in Milwaukee, multiple sources told ClutchPoints that a lack of confidence exists among several Bucks players regarding Rivers' style of coaching.

Further elements of Rivers' instability with the Bucks were reported by ESPN recently, as Rivers called a team meeting on March 1 to hold his players accountable for their lack of urgency. During this meeting, Rivers reportedly told his team that he had "took teams to the playoffs and to the championship that weren't supposed to," and that those doubting him should look up his résumé online.

When asked recently about how much longer he envisions himself coaching , Rivers practically hinted that his time on the sidelines is coming to an end.

"I won't answer that, but I have grandkids that I want to see. I'll put it that way," Rivers said on Tuesday before losing 96-90 on the road to the Brooklyn Nets . "I'll let you figure it out from there. I have seven grandkids now, and they're all eight years and younger. And it kills me every time I miss Grandparents' Day with each one of them in school.

"It's probably time to go see them more, so I'll let you figure out the rest."

Simply based on his own comments from this past week and the growing speculation among rival front offices, it seems like these internal conversations about a coaching change have already been discussed in Milwaukee.

Upon their season ending, it is expected that the Bucks will move quickly to make a final decision on Rivers and likely be the first organization to make a change on the sidelines. The latest intel circulating around the NBA as of Friday morning surrounding Rivers is that he will ultimately retire to avoid the traditional "team fires coach" route.

Early names already being linked to the Bucks include former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.

Cassell, Quinn, and Nori have all been involved in the coaching carousel recently, each interviewing for head coaching opportunities around the league in previous years. Long-time NBA reporter Marc Stein was the first to report on Jenkins being linked to the Bucks, a rumor that has since been confirmed by multiple sources to ClutchPoints.

Whoever takes over for Rivers will have their hands full, especially if the Bucks do finally pull the trigger on a Giannis trade, which would force this organization to commit to a rebuilding phase.

Change coming in Orlando ?

Staying in the Eastern Conference, nobody should be shocked to hear that the Orlando Magic are evaluating the future of Jamahl Mosley .

The Magic have been very up and down during the second half of the season, and how they finish the year will be very telling as to what this franchise's plans are heading into the offseason. As of right now, four straight wins have the Magic as the 7-seed with an opportunity to possibly claim a playoff spot.

Should this happen, Mosley's future will look a little more secure, as would obviously winning a playoff series, something Orlando has not done since 2010. This is clearly one of those situations where no decisions will be made on Mosley's future until the postseason plays out and management can have their exit interviews with the roster.

In contrast to Rivers' situation with the Bucks' locker room, there doesn't appear to be any tension between Mosley and his team, which is another reason why Orlando may opt to give Mosley another chance, especially after an injury-riddled season.

Even so, chatter about the Magic's future continues to come up in conversations amongst league circles, and Mosley is certainly on the hot seat right now. In fact, before he accepted the North Carolina job, sources said Michael Malone was being viewed by the Magic as a potential replacement for Mosley in the summer.

If he were let go by the Magic, Mosley would draw interest from several organizations, including both the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers , sources said. Both of these teams will be evaluating the futures of interim head coaches James Borrego and Tiago Splitter , respectively.

The bigger question for Orlando heading into the summer is whether they will look to cut significant salaries.

Paolo Banchero , Franz Wagner , Desmond Bane , and Jalen Suggs will combine to make over $150 million during the 2026-27 season, and with 12 players projected to be under contract, the Magic are already closing in on the second apron.

While the Magic could cut their overall tax bill and payroll down by waiving Jonathan Isaac , whose contract is only guaranteed for $8 million, it is possible that further moves will need to be made. Not to mention, breakout guard Anthony Black will be entering the final year of his rookie contract and be extension eligible.

How front-office changes will impact Bulls, Mavericks

It was simply a matter of time before the Chicago Bulls made significant changes to their front office, something we previewed at ClutchPoints last Friday with rumors about Billy Donovan's future with the organization and his ties to UNC swirling.

Three days later, the Bulls officially announced that they were firing EVP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, finally signaling that owner Jerry Reinsdorf and CEO Michael Reinsdorf want to take the organization in a different direction.

The only problem is that nobody really knows what direction the Bulls are heading in and what the immediate future of this roster looks like, outside of Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis .

One thing that is certain is that the Reinsdorf's have no intention of seeing anyone but Donovan coaching their team to begin the 2026-27 season. After being heavily pursued by North Carolina, sources say the Bulls are committed to keeping Donovan as their head coach and proving to him that they will make winning roster moves.

Of course, that means whoever is brought in to run the front office in Chicago, they will need to be fully committed to Donovan being the head coach as well, which is already a yellow flag for this organization. This has nothing to do with Donovan, who is a fantastic coach, but more so that new names taking over a front office tend to choose their own coach.

In terms of Donovan's connection to North Carolina, sources say he never turned down the Tar Heels' proposal, but he was not going to make any decision until after April 12, the final day of the NBA regular season. Since North Carolina did not want to wait that long and was already having conversations with other candidates, they opted to finalize a deal with Malone instead.

So, will Donovan actually coach the Bulls to begin the 2026-27 season? That remains a big question, not just because he will take time after the season to evaluate his future, but also because other teams will attempt to poach the Bulls' head coach.

Another front-office search underway involves the Dallas Mavericks, who are looking to finalize their general manager position and basketball operations department in the offseason after seeing Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi operate as co-interim GMs this season.

As of right now, the Mavs have yet to signal their intentions with Finley and Riccardi, but chatter around the league suggests Dallas could opt to bring both back. Then again, this all depends on what the Mavericks decide to do at the very top of their front office.

Owner Patrick Dumont and his braintrust are set to target the best of the best in the league, with Boston Celtics executive Brad Stevens and Oklahoma City Thunder executive Sam Presti already appearing in rumors linked to Dallas . However, both executives hold zero interest in leaving their current situations, league sources said.

Current Minnesota Timberwolves executive Tim Connelly, who still has another year left on his contract, is the name that keeps coming up in conversations around the league regarding the Mavs' front office search.

Regardless of what happens with the hierarchy of power in the Mavericks' offices, Jason Kidd's position as head coach is still clear. It would come as a shock if Dumont gave the green light to move on from Kidd, who has built a strong relationship with rookie star Cooper Flagg and has the support of veteran star Kyrie Irving.

Who else will join NBA coaching carousel?

Every year, the NBA coaching carousel always brings surprises. While not many changes were made a season ago, Tom Thibodeau was fired by the New York Knicks after the team made the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.

Always expect the unexpected, and this offseason definitely has a chance to bring some fireworks in the coaching landscape.

Then again, almost half the league is locked in with their current head coach. We can say for certain that the following coaches will not be fired this offseason and will remain in their current positions, unless they are to leave on their own terms:

Quin Snyder ( Atlanta Hawks ) – expires after 2026-27 season
Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics) – signed extension in 2025
Charles Lee ( Charlotte Hornets )
Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls) – signed extension in 2025
Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) – signed extension in 2025
JB Bickerstaff ( Detroit Pistons )
Steve Kerr ( Golden State Warriors )*
Rick Carlisle ( Indiana Pacers ) – signed extension in 2025
Tyronn Lue ( LA Clippers ) – signed extension in 2024
JJ Redick ( Los Angeles Lakers ) – signed extension in 2025
Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat)
Mark Daigneault (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Jordan Ott ( Phoenix Suns )
Mitch Johnson ( San Antonio Spurs )
Will Hardy ( Utah Jazz ) – signed extension in 2025

*Contract is expiring.

As for those on the other half of the league and not on this list, it would come as a major shock to many around the league if the Denver Nuggets moved on from David Adelman, the Minnesota Timberwolves with Chris Finch, the Toronto Raptors with Darko Rajakovic, and the Brooklyn Nets with Jordi Fernandez.

It is also unlikely that the New York Knicks would move on from Mike Brown after just one year and the Houston Rockets with Ime Udoka, but both coaches face win-now situations. A first-round exit in the playoffs by either coach will surely draw some questions about their ability to lead their respective teams.

As for Steve Kerr and his situation with the Golden State Warriors, he is not going anywhere . The Warriors are fully committed to keeping Kerr, and the 60-year-old coach has expressed his desire publicly and behind the scenes to return for at least one more season.

Right after the NBA trade deadline, we reported here at ClutchPoints that the 2025-26 season would not be Kerr's last, and the Dubs are prepared to negotiate a contract that is to his liking . Although every organization would like to see a long-term commitment from their head coach, the Warriors are not against signing Kerr for one more year, sources said.

Golden State wants Kerr, and owner Joe Lacob will ensure that his head coach doesn't go anywhere this summer, even if it means that the 2026-27 season will be their own version of a "Last Dance" type of year.

And now, that leaves us with a small pool of coaches to discuss.

Doug Christie signed an interesting contract with the Sacramento Kings last summer: a three-year deal that guaranteed the first two years but contained a team option for the final year. There is no word as to what the Kings plan to do with their head coach, but he is not expected to be their long-term option on the sidelines.

Do not be shocked if Christie returns for his second full season in Sacramento, especially since the Kings will have decisions to make on the futures of Zach LaVine , DeMar DeRozan , and Domantas Sabonis in the summer.

Another coach in a rebuilding situation with his current organization is Brian Keefe with the Washington Wizards . The last two seasons have been grueling for Keefe and this organization, as they continue to navigate their rebuild with patience and precision.

Sources say the Wizards' leadership has been working with Keefe all season, and there is no reason at this very moment to believe that his job is in jeopardy. The young players Washington has been developing have close relationships with Keefe and the coaching staff, and the Wizards are said to want to give him a chance with new stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis .

There are two interim head coaches in the league right now: Tiago Splitter with the Portland Trail Blazers and James Borrego with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Although Splitter's future, and that of the Trail Blazers as a whole, under new owner Tom Dundon is unclear, Borrego has earned a lot of respect from the Pelicans' front office and the roster as a whole. While he may not return as the head coach of the team, there is a strong reason to believe team governor Gayle Benson and EVP Joe Dumars will keep Borrego around in a different role.

And that leaves us with two playoff-quality teams in the Eastern Conference to discuss — the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers .

Kenny Atkinson was hired by the Cavs before the 2024-25 season, and he led the organization to the 1-seed in the conference and 64 wins in his first year, the most games Cleveland had won since Mike Brown led the team to 66 wins during the 2008-09 season with LeBron James .

As a result, Atkinson was named the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year before the Cavs fell in five games at the hands of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Once again, expectations were high in Cleveland entering the season, and those title-competing expectations were heightened by the organization's trade deadline deal to swap Darius Garland for James Harden . Anything short of a long second-round series would be another disappointing result for Atkinson and the Cavs.

Despite not being on the hot seat like other coaches around the NBA, Atkinson is facing pressure to win in the playoffs. Should the Cavaliers come up short of their expectations yet again, the noise surrounding whether or not Atkinson is the right fit on the sidelines in Cleveland will be very loud.

Unlike the Cavs, who will host a first-round playoff series in the East, the 76ers are still fighting just to make the playoffs. After Joel Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy on Thursday , the Sixers face a lot of uncertainty as a play-in team.

Entering Friday night's game against the Pacers, Philadelphia finds itself as the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference that could finish anywhere from 6th to 10th in the standings, depending on what happens during the final two days of the regular season.

This is Nick Nurse's third season with the 76ers. After winning just 24 games a season ago, the Sixers have put together a winning season with 40-plus wins, and it's likely they will draw a first-round series with either Detroit or Boston without their star big man.

Unfortunately for Nurse, his team simply has not been healthy over the last two years, which has led to the 76ers underperforming their expectations. It would come as a surprise if the 76ers fired Nurse this summer, but assuming he enters Year 4 with the organization, he will need to win and prove he is the coach to lead Philadelphia against the East's hierarchy.

There is never any certainty in the NBA coaching landscape, which is why Nurse and the 76ers will certainly draw questions in the offseason should their season once again end in a first-round playoff exit… or missing the playoffs altogether.

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