Timberwolves Coach Loses Out on Another HC Job; Two Remain…

Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly is busy trying to build a team for 2026-27 that can compete out West, come playoff time, with the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

That task will be easier said than done, because good help doesn’t come cheap and the Wolves, per usual, have limited flexibility, while they flirt with different aprons of the league’s luxury tax yet again.

Meanwhile, Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori — who first worked with Connelly while the two were together in Denver from 2015-2018 — is trying to take the next step in his professional career, from assistant to head coach.

League-wide interest in Nori isn’t a new phenomenon, of course. Over the past couple offseasons, there have been a bevy of teams — including the Lakers (2024), Cavs (2024) and Knicks (2025) — that have shown interest and/or interviewed the 52-year-old before ultimately choosing someone else.

This offseason, however, Nori has been in the running for multiple head coaching opportunities. When we all woke up Monday morning, Micah was still in the running for the Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks head jobs.

Micah Nori falls short on another head coaching bid

The team everyone was watching closest today was Chicago, where Marc Stein (Stein Line Substack) expected a new head coach to be named by the end of the day. And sure enough, just before noon ET, the announcement was made.

And yet again, Micah Nori came up short. The Bulls, instead, announced that they are hiring Portland Trail Blazers assistant and former NBA player, Tiago Splitter as their next head coach.

BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are finalizing the hire of Portland Trail Blazers interim Tiago Splitter as the franchise's new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Splitter succeeds Billy Donovan as the Bulls' coach after stepping into the head job and excelling in Portland last season. pic.twitter.com/m8e91FrvXC

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2026

Nori was one of four reported finalists, along with Splitter, Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. and Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt. Now, he is down to the Mavs and Blazers.

Obviously, Nori is not in a place where he can pick and choose out of these last two jobs. I’d imagine, if either Dallas or Portland makes him an offer, he will be their next head coach.

Timberwolves assistant now focusing on Dallas and Portland

However, according to Marc Stein (Stein Line Substack), Blazers owner Tom Dundon hasn’t been a hurry to fill Portland’s vacant head coaching job, which has reportedly taken a pause while his NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes, was busy winning Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Portland was initially seen as the furthest along of the three teams — with The Stein Line reporting on June 4 that Splitter, Nori and Boston’s Tyler Lashbrook were still in contention to succeed Chauncey Billups — but Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon has been focused on his Carolina Hurricanes’ attempts to win the Stanley Cup for the past several days.

Marc Stein – Stein Line Substack

If he was hoping to hire internally, that plan is now shot, after the Bulls beat the Blazers to Splitter. Now that they have officially been crowned champs, though, we could see the hiring process in Portland move forward this week.

Dallas, meanwhile, held another round of interviews over the weekend. The Mavs now have four serious head coaching candidates, Micah Nori being one of them.

Related: KAT Gives Ant, Timberwolves Some NBA Finals Flowers

Despite how far away both the Mavs and Blazers might seem from hiring their next head coach, it would be a surprise if either team goes into the NBA Draft on June 23 without a newly named head coach. Stein was spot-on with Chicago’s timeline… I wouldn’t doubt him on the other two either.

Coaching sources indicated Sunday that at least one of them is likely to be filled this week. Maybe more. Said the source: “The draft is almost here and teams, no matter what they say, would always rather have a new coach in place before the draft if they can.”

Marc Stein – Stein Line Substack

More About:Minnesota Timberwolves