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The playoffs are here, which means coaching changes are on the way for some teams that fell short of the postseason. We're tracking every move so far:
Memphis Grizzlies Who's out: J.B. Bickerstaff
Who's in: Taylor Jenkins Bickerstaff was the headliner in a major front-office shake-up in Memphis that also saw the demotions of general manager Chris Wallace and VP of basketball operations John Hollinger to scouting and senior advisory roles, respectively. Jenkins is third NBA head coach to come directly off of Mike Budenholzer's coaching staff, joining Utah's Quin Snyder and Brooklyn's Kenny Atkinson. Jenkins will be the Grizzlies' fourth head coach in the last five years. Memphis has missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons and went 33-49 this past season. The Latest: Sources: Grizzlies to hire Bucks' Jenkins as HC
Cleveland Cavaliers Who's out: Larry Drew
Who's in: John Beilein The Cavs reached an agreement with Michigan head coach John Beilein to fill the job on Sunday, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Cavs gave Beilein a five-year deal. He is expected to join the Cavs' front office and ownership in Chicago for the draft lottery and combine this week. Beilein replaces Larry Drew, who finished last season after Tyronn Lue was fired six games into the campaign. Lue won a title with the team in 2016, but LeBron James left in free agency before last season, and the team launched an accelerated rebuild. The Latest: How have college coaches fared in the NBA?
Los Angeles Lakers Who's out: Luke Walton
Who's in: Frank Vogel The Los Angeles Lakers hired former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel to replace Luke Walton. Vogel agreed to a three-year deal, and his staff will include former Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Vogel was a Lakers advanced scout in 2005-2006, and the only head coach to face a LeBron James team more often in the playoffs than Vogel is Steve Kerr. The Lakers fired Luke Walton after three years, none of which ended with a postseason appearance. Walton's job security was under the microscope as soon as LeBron James was signed by Los Angeles in July, and the lack of continuity between the front office and the coaching staff was apparent even before injuries and suboptimal transactions left the Lakers out of the postseason conversation by the end of March. The Lakers had been proceeding toward hiring Tyronn Lue as their next coach, but those negotiations were halted, forcing Los Angeles to move in a different direction. The Latest: Who's running the show? Inside the Lakers' hierarchy
Sacramento Kings Who's out: Dave Joerger
Who's in: Luke Walton In a somewhat confusing move for the up-and-coming Kings, Joerger was fired after a 39-43 season -- the franchise's best since 2005-06. Tension between management and Joerger regarding playing time for certain young players and relationship strains prompted general manager Vlade Divac's decision, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Joerger, who had a 98-148 record over three seasons in Sacramento, had one year remaining on his contract. The Kings quickly moved to replace Joerger with Walton, who had the same 98-148 record over the past three seasons. However, Walton quickly came under fire due to sexual assault allegations stemming from his time as an assistant coach with the Warriors The Latest: Kings, NBA start joint investigation into Walton
Phoenix Suns Who's out: Igor Kokoskov
Who's in: Monty Williams Less than a year after he was hired, Igor Kokoskov -- the first NBA coach born and raised outside North America -- was fired by the Suns, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Phoenix went 19-63 in his lone season at the helm, tied with the Cavaliers for the second-worst record in the NBA. The 19 wins were the second-fewest in a season in Suns history, as the team fell short of the 25-win mark for the fourth consecutive year. Williams, a 76ers assistant and former Pelicans head coach, agreed to a five-year deal to coach the Suns after also interviewing with the Lakers.
Minnesota Timberwolves Who's in: Ryan Saunders Minnesota removed the interim tag from Saunders and finalized a multiyear deal for the 33-year-old to become head coach on Monday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Gersson Rosas, the Timberwolves' new president of basketball operations, met with candidates at the NBA draft combine, but the search turned back to Saunders. Saunders, son of late Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, finished the season as interim coach after the midseason firing of Tom Thibodeau and earned the endorsement of All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
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