Timberwolves' Micah Nori Opens Up About Bulls, Blazers, Mavericks Interest

Talk about the potential exit of Wolves' assistant coach Micah Nori has cooled down over the past couple of week, but that doesn't mean he won't be hired by one of of the teams with vacant head coaching positions.

Before Chicago hired Bryson Graham to lead the Bulls' front office, there was speculation that Chicago would be targeting Nori as their head coach and Wolves assistant general manager Matt Lloyd as their GM. While Graham has the GM job, the Bulls still haven't hired a head coach.

Nori has also been rumored to be in contention for the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks' openings. The long-time Wolves' assistant told SiriusXM's NBA Radio on Tuesday that conversations with the Blazers, Bulls, and Mavericks aren't "too serious" as each team is in the early stages of their respective coaching searches.

"I mean, I haven't heard anything really from Dallas," Nori said. "Had, you know, just some feelers out with Chicago. They're very, very early in their stage. And then Portland, same thing, just some, you know, some conversations here and there. Nothing too serious. These guys are all taking their time and doing their due diligence as they can. But we'll see. Like I say, I have a great, fantastic job with Minnesota, and I think that all these things come about because of the success that we've had there. And I think I've been around for so daggone long, but it's been, it's OK."

Chicago would be much more of a rebuild. Dallas and Portland provide interesting opportunities to take over young rosters that, especially in the Mavs' case with Cooper Flagg, are on the path towards becoming playoff teams in the deep Western Conference.

"Conversations are very early stages," continued Nori. "Again, nothing from Dallas really. They're just beginning their search. A few conversations here and there with Portland and Chicago. But nothing too serious yet. And hopefully, as they ramp up, maybe they do get a little bit more involved."

Nori has been Chris Finch's top assistant since the duo arrived in Minnesota in 2021. As the Timberwolves have evolved into a perennial contender in the West, Nori's stock has risen, and it may only be a matter of time until he gets a head coaching opportunity.

He began his coaching career in Toronto, where he was an assistant from 2009 to 2013. Nori then spent two seasons in Sacramento before spending three years on the Nuggets' bench, where he first linked up with Finch, who was also an assistant in Denver. After three seasons in Detroit, Nori was hired by the Wolves.

In previous offseasons, Nori has interviewed with the Lakers, Pistons, Cavaliers, and the Knicks. He was a finalist for the Knicks job last offseason before New York hired Mike Brown, who has taken the Knicks to the NBA Finals in his first year at Madison Square Garden.

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