Trail Blazers hiring Wolves’ Micah Nori as coach, sources say

The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as the franchise’s next head coach, sources told ESPN.

Nori — widely regarded as one of the league’s top assistants — has been in the NBA coaching ranks since 2009. His multi-year deal consists of multiple team option years — and a sliding-scale salary based on incentives and team success, sources said.

Portland is hiring Nori after Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin led a comprehensive search of over a dozen coaching interviews. The finalists for the job beyond Nori were Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook and former interim coach Tiago Splitter, who was hired by the Chicago Bulls last week.

Portland zeroed in on Nori due to his strong communication and relationship skills. Trail Blazers officials finalized a deal with Nori’s agent, Bret Just of WME Basketball, on Tuesday morning.

Nori has spent the past five seasons in Minnesota under head coach Chris Finch, a stretch that has seen the team post the fifth-best record in the NBA and included five postseason appearances.

During the Wolves’ 2024 playoff run, Nori stepped up and handled many of the more mobile, in-game coaching duties while Finch recovered from a knee injury.

He has previously spent time with the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons.