Former Wizards Coach Scott Brooks Lands With Portland Trail Blazers

Scott Brooks had tons of support from within the Washington Wizards' organization after a rough ending to the season. After losing 4-1 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs to the first seeded Philadelphia 76ers, Brooks' future in Washington was in question as his contract was set to expire.

Russell Westbrook defended Brooks and made it clear he'd like to see his head coach return. Bradley Beal, who's been in Washington throughout Brooks' entire tenure, would've also welcomed him back with open arms.

Despite having a mutual interest in getting an extension done, Brooks and the Wizards ultimately decided to part ways. Now, Washington is embarking on its first head coaching search since the 2016 offseason.

Brooks, who had head coaching stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Wizards, will take a step back from leading a coaching staff and instead will join somebody else's for the time being.

For the last couple of days now, Portland Trail Blazers' new head coach Chauncey Billups has been on a search for a top assistant. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro and Los Angeles Lakers assistant Lionel Hollins were among three candidates to join Billups' staff. The other happened to be Scott Brooks.

At this point, the selection process is completed. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Portland is finalizing a deal to hire Brooks.

Former Wizards coach Scott Brooks is finalizing a deal with Portland to become Chauncey Billups’ top assistant coach, sources tell ESPN. That’s a significant addition for Billups as he builds his new staff.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 9, 2021

It's been quite some time since Brooks has assisted another coach. The last time he spent time next to another head coach was back in 2008 when the Thunder first got started after the move from Seattle. Soon after, he became the head coach.

From then on, Brooks ran his own squads. From 2008 to 2015, he coached the Thunder. Following his firing after missing the playoffs, Brooks took a year off. Then, he returned to the NBA as he was named the head coach of Wizards in 2016. After five seasons in Washington, he'll now make his way to Portland.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.