Blazers Hire Micah Nori as Head Coach: What It Means For Portland

The Portland Trail Blazers are ending their coaching search just hours before the 2026 NBA Draft.

ESPN insider Shams Charania is reporting that the Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori to be their next head coach.

"Just in: The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Nori -- widely regarded as one of the league's top assistants -- has been in the NBA coaching ranks since 2009 and now takes over in Portland on a multiyear deal," Charania tweeted.

Just in: The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Nori -- widely regarded as one of the league's top assistants -- has been in the NBA coaching ranks since 2009 and now takes over… pic.twitter.com/j5PDc5KlFF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2026

The move comes a week after the Chicago Bulls hired Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter to fill their vacancy. The Blazers now have a direction they can go in as they look to build their squad throughout the offseason.

Who Is Micah Nori?

Nori began his coaching career in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors in 2009. He then moved on to the Sacramento Kings to work under Michael Malone and followed him to the Denver Nuggets when he was fired by the franchise.

He became an assistant under Dwane Casey once again with the Pistons before heading to the Timberwolves to reunite with Chris Finch, who he worked with under Malone in Denver.

Nori has been a big part of Minnesota's recent ascent in the Western Conference. The Wolves have won a playoff series in each of the last three seasons and reached the Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025.

Nori has done his time and worked hard to get to this point in his career. Now that the Blazers have afforded him the opportunity, he will get a chance to showcase what he has learned over his time in the league to try and help Portland reach new heights.

Nori's Offense Will Transform the Blazers

With this hire, the Blazers are signaling that they want to improve their offense. Nori will have the challenge of merging the success Deni Avdija had this past season with the Blazers where he became an All-Star to fit Damian Lillard into the offense.

Lillard isn't expected to be the same player he was in his first stint with the Blazers, but he can still be the best offensive force on the court when he wants to be.

If Nori can find the formula for Avdija and Lillard, the Blazers will be in good hands moving forward.

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