Mavericks Expected to Interview Former Assistant for Head Coach Opening

The Dallas Mavericks are in the process of looking for a new head coach after letting Jason Kidd go a few weeks ago. New team president Masai Ujiri decided it would be best to clean house from top to bottom, as many scouts, coaches, and front office personnel were dismissed.

Ideally, the Mavs would like to have someone in place by the start of the NBA Draft on June 23rd, but we're less than three weeks away from that, and it seems that the Mavs are still in the early phases of vetting candidates.

NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein did a rundown of the remaining coaching searches: the Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Chicago Bulls. In there, they reported that former Trail Blazers head coach and former Mavs assistant Terry Stott is expected to get an interview for the Mavs head coaching job.

"The Stein Line has also been advised that former Trail Blazers, Bucks, and Hawks coach Terry Stotts — who previously had a stint in Dallas as an assistant and was once recommended strongly for Kidd's staff by former majority owner Mark Cuban — is also certain to get an interview for the position. Stotts recently left his previous assistant post on Steve Kerr's staff in Golden State and, according to sources, only has interest in head coaching openings at this time."

Stotts has been a head coach for 13 seasons in the NBA, mostly with Portland, going 517-486 throughout his tenure. He made a Western Conference Finals appearance with the Blazers in 2019, and he was also on the bench with the Dallas Mavericks for the championship in 2011 on Rick Carlisle's staff.

Jan 20, 2018; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts calls out a play during the second half in a game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 117-108. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Terry Stotts is a Veteran, But Probably Not the Right Choice

Terry Stotts has been around the NBA for a long time, but he's 68 years old at this point. While he may have left the Golden State Warriors job to explore head coaching opportunities, none of the openings feel like good fits, especially Dallas.

They have a young superstar in Cooper Flagg and a well-respected veteran in Kyrie Irving, and Stotts had success with a talented guard in Portland with Damian Lillard. Still, it seems hard to convince a fanbase and a team to follow a 68-year-old at this point in his career.

The Bulls are going through a rebuild, and it seems unlikely that they would go for an older coach. Stotts could always return to Portland, especially now that Lillard is back, but their coaching search has been an interesting one, as their owner seems like he doesn't want to pay big money for a coach.

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