On Monday, reports informed us that the Cleveland Cavaliers had hired Kenny Atkinson, an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, to be their next head coach.
The parties have begun contract negotiations, and an agreement is anticipated to be achieved shortly, according to sources.
According to reports, the Cavaliers’ selection process had narrowed down to Atkinson and New Orleans Pelicans assistant head coach James Borrego. Borrego, who worked with incoming Detroit president Trajan Langdon in incoming Orleans last season, is now likely to be a top contender in the Pistons’ coaching search, according to sources.
Atkinson, the Warriors’ top coach, takes over a Cavaliers team that reached the Eastern Conference semifinals and won 99 regular-season games in the previous two seasons. He joins an organization that contains two significant players he developed during his time as Brooklyn Nets coach: Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.
According to insiders, Cavaliers head of basketball operations Koby Altman and general manager Mike Gansey are particularly interested in Atkinson’s reputed player development program and its influence on promising center Evan Mobley.
Cleveland’s first objective this summer will be to get All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to a contract deal. He has one year remaining until he may activate his early termination option.
In three-plus years with the Nets, Atkinson went 118–190, inheriting a complete rebuild and improving each season before his resignation after an injury-plagued 2019–20 season. He worked as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020–21 before becoming the top assistant under Steve Kerr in 2021. Two years ago, Atkinson briefly took the head coaching position with the Charlotte Hornets before deciding to stay with the Warriors.
Before returning to the assistant coaching level with the Clippers and Warriors, Atkinson spent nine seasons in the NBA. He spent four with the New York Knicks and three with the Atlanta Hawks.
