Blazers Have 'Mounting Interest' in Keeping Chauncey Billups: Report

Will Portland pivot after a surprisingly robust season performance?

Mar 9, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups talks with Trail Blazers’ forward Toumani Camara (33) during a time out in the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images / Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Will the Portland Trail Blazers pivot on their head coach's future after a surprisingly robust season performance?

That appears to be the general sense around the league, front office executives and rival scouts inform Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

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At 28-38, Portland is currently five games behind the 33-33 Dallas Mavericks for the 10th and final seed in the stacked Western Conference. The 30-35 Phoenix Suns are just two games ahead of Portland for the West's No. 11 seed.

The Mavericks emerged from a five-game losing skid to vanquish the West's No. 13 seed, the San Antonio Spurs, in a narrow 133-129 victory on Monday night. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, fell 130-120 Monday to the ascendant Golden State Warriors, who have gone 9-1 in their games with new addition Jimmy Butler in the lineup.

With All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving done for the season and All-Star power forward/center Anthony Davis' availability in question for the rest of the year, Dallas looks quite vulnerable for its final 16 games of the season. Still, five games is a lot to make up for Portland.

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Regardless, Stein notes that the team's 17-17 record in the calendar year (which included a 10-1 run ahead of the trade deadline and a costly Deandre Ayton injury) has impressed enough to probably salvage head coach Chauncey Billups' future in the profession, be that with the Trail Blazers or elsewhere.

Young guns Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe and Jabari Walker have thrived under his leadership, while Scoot Henderson has stabilized a bit of late.

The former Hall of Fame point guard had a rocky start to his tenure in Portland, but his player development of late seems to changed minds across the NBA.

"More and more you hear whispers that the Blazers are presumed to have mounting interest retaining Billups beyond this season," Stein writes.

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Billups has a team option on the fifth year of his contract with Portland for the 2025-26 season.

"Whether Billups stays with the Blazers or becomes an in-demand coaching free agent is generating considerable wonderment among team representatives who track such developments," Stein adds. "The full-speed annual spin of the NBA coaching carousel, after all, is drawing near."

More Portland Trail Blazers:

LaMarcus Aldridge Reveals He Tried to Return to Blazers Multiple Times But Former GM Stopped It

Jabari Walker Makes Blazers History, Joining Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum

For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.