Sources – Cleveland Cavaliers hire Kenny Atkinson as coach

The Cleveland Cavaliers have hired Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson as the franchise’s next coach, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The parties have started working on a contract and a deal is expected to be reached soon, sources said.

The Cavaliers’ lawsuit had been narrowed down to Atkinson and New Orleans Pelicans head coach James Borrego, sources said. Borrego, who worked with new Detroit president Trajan Langdon in New Orleans this past season, is now expected to be a prominent candidate in the Pistons’ coaching search, sources told ESPN.

Atkinson, the Warriors’ top assistant, takes over a Cavaliers squad that advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals and won 99 regular-season games over the past two seasons. He joins an organization that includes two key players who blossomed during his time as coach of the Brooklyn Nets: Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.

Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman and general manager Mike Gansey especially want Atkinson’s renowned player development program to make an impact on young center Evan Mobley, sources said.

Cleveland’s offseason priority is all about securing All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to a contract extension. He has one year left before he can exercise an early termination option.

Atkinson was 118-190 in just over three years with the Nets, inheriting a complete rebuild and showing improvement every season until resigning after an injury-plagued 2019-20 season. He spent the 2020-21 season as an assistant with the LA Clippers before joining Steve Kerr’s staff as a top assistant in 2021. Two years ago, Atkinson briefly accepted the Charlotte Hornets head coaching job before changing his mind and staying with the Warriors. .

Atkinson spent nine seasons as an NBA assistant: four with the New York Knicks, three with the Atlanta Hawks before returning to the assistant coaching ranks with the Clippers and Warriors.