Report: Celtics among teams interested in Mike D’Antoni originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Add another name to the Boston Celtics head coach watchlist.
Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Mike D’Antoni has received interest for the Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic head coach openings, ESPN’s Jordan Schultz reported Tuesday.
D’Antoni is an NBA coaching veteran who took his first head coach job with the Denver Nuggets in 1998. He won NBA Coach of the Year awards in 2005 with the Phoenix Suns and 2017 with the Houston Rockets and also had stints as the New York Knicks’ and Los Angeles Lakers‘ head coach before joining Brooklyn in 2020 as an assistant on Steve Nash’s staff.
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If the Celtics want D’Antoni, they may have to wait: The Nets will grant interview requests for their assistant after the playoffs, per Schultz, and with a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn likely won’t be eliminated anytime soon.
A number of other coaching candidates have been linked to Boston, including ex-Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, former NBA stars Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups and Sam Cassell, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon and ex-Celtics assistant Kara Lawson.
While D’Antoni has an impressive coaching track record, the 70-year-old is by far the oldest member of that group. If the C’s are seeking a fresh voice for their young core after Brad Stevens’ transition to president of basketball operations, there would seem to be better fits than D’Antoni.