Following Elimination, Trail Blazers Part With Head Coach Terry Stotts

The Portland Trail Blazers have parted ways with head coach Terry Stotts.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the move, since confirmed by the team shortly thereafter.

Stotts helped the Trail Blazers win ten of their final twelve games of the regular season to earn the six seed in the Western Conference playoffs, avoiding the play-in tournament.  But despite the late-season surge, the Blazers were eliminated in the first round in six games by the Denver Nuggets, though Denver was without their starting backcourt with injuries to Jamal Murray and Will Barton.

Stotts was hired as Blazers head coach in August of 2012, replacing Nate McMillan.  In nine seasons, Stotts accumulated a record of 402-318.  He led the Blazers to the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons, advancing past the first round on three occasions including a 2019 run to the Western Conference Finals before being swept by the Golden State Warriors.

Rumors on Friday suggested Jason Kidd as a possible replacement for Stotts, per Chris Haynes and Marc Stein.  However, Woj includes in his report the likes of Chauncey Billups, Mike D’Antoni, Juwan Howard and Jeff van Gundy.