The Portland Trail Blazers have been actively looking for their next head coach. It can be challenging to find the candidate who fits the Blazers’ coaching needs, but no matter who it is, Portland’s future will hang in the balance.<\/p>\n
After an eventful 2025-26 season that saw the Trail Blazers make the playoffs for the first time since 2021, they are now looking for a new permanent head coach. Tiago Splitter was the acting head coach for the previous season, but he is now just one of the candidates for the job.<\/p>\n
With new owner Tom Dundon’s plans being set in motion, the Blazers’ coach is one of the clearest priorities. There were some controversies<\/a> over Dundon’s willingness to spend, but it seems that is a thing of the past, since the Blazers are taking their time interviewing candidates.<\/p>\n The Blazers’ search has been active over the past week. They still have Splitter as one of the finalists for the position, but it’s unlikely his “interim” tag is removed. It seems that Dundon<\/a> is not a big fan of Splitter, so that could play a role in who they will hire next.<\/p>\n Apart from Splitter, the Blazers appear to be looking for all types of coaching profiles. The biggest name so far, aside from Splitter, is Jeff Van Gundy, a decorated coach who was an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\n All Known Blazers Final Pool of HV Candidates so far: <\/p>\n JVG, Clippers assistant — Blazers Steward (@ShiplessSteward) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe Blazers’ Coaching Candidates Are Quite Varied<\/h3>\n
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Tyler Lashbrook, Celtics assistant
Tiago Splitter, Blazers interim
Jerry Stackhouse, ex-Warriors assistant
Mike Williams, Utah Assistant
Micah Nori, Wolfs Assistant<\/p>\n