It’s Black Monday all over again in the NBA this morning as two new coaching vacancies have opened up. Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez of ESPN, the New Orleans Pelicans have relieved Stan Van Gundy of his head coaching duties.
Shortly following Van Gundy’s departure from New Orleans was the Washington Wizards and head coach Scott Brooks agreeing to part ways after failing to come to a new contract agreement, also reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The vacancies in New Orleans and Washington now make it six openings across the NBA including Boston, Indiana, Orlando, and Portland.
So, how do the additions of the Pelicans and Wizards openings affect the Celtics?
Well, for New Orleans, the Pelicans immediately jumps into the top-3 of most sought after coaching landing spots, alongside Boston and Portland, solely based on Zion Williamson. According to Woj, the Pelicans could interview a pair of potential Celtics candidates, including Brooklyn’s Ime Udoka and Milwaukee’s Charles Lee.
In search for a replacement, Pelicans are expected to circle back among some candidates from a year ago, including assistants Jacque Vaughn and Ime Udoka (Brooklyn), Charles Lee (Milwaukee) and Jason Kidd (Lakers), sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/sAduFLcEiG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2021
For Washington, depending on who they decide to hire as their new coach, could potentially finally start rumblings of All-Star Bradley Beal wanting out of a Wizards uniform. Why does that matter to Boston? Well, because Beal and Jayson Tatum are childhood friends from St. Louis. And with both expected to play for Team USA this summer, you can almost guarantee the two will have conversations about playing alongside one another.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
