The Trail Blazers are “actively exploring” the coaching market

[THE HCP]

 

[RR7]

Tom hired a great coach in Carolina for the Hurricanes and has paid to keep him there.

He elevated a beloved assistant who has seemingly stuck around due to love of the franchise, even though he has been consistently underpaid compared to other coaches in the league. Wow. It would seem more than anything he's extremely lucky that Rod's been loyal to the franchise and didn't chase an average salary.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Blah blah blah.
The bottom line is the Hurricanes have a great coach under Tom's watch. You can't deny that.
Nobody seems to complain about Deni making well below market value. But for some reason with a coach it's a sin?!?

 

[RR7]

blah blah blah, I guess he can do no wrong

 

[julius]

I would bet that the amount that has been thrown around isn't accurate, and I'd also bet that he's realizing that this isn't the NHL and will come correct.

Doesn't mean he will spend like mad, but this ain't your Dundon's NHL...

 

[BigGameDamian]

I read that Dundon has interviewed Thibideau, Malone and several top shelf coaches before he took over the team and is now researching college and foreign coaches. The writer said he's never capped his coaching search with the lowball figure put out there. He's looking for the right guy and interviewing a wide range of candidates in different price ranges. Was glad to hear that. I think Tiago's agent has his work cut out for him but Tiago actually fits the mold he's looking for. Apparently his first two interviews were Malone and Thibs. If I can find the article, I'll link it.

This is all I could find.

Rumors in April 2026 suggest that Tom Dundon, the new owner of the Portland Trail Blazers, has alienated two proven NBA coaching candidates—reportedly Michael Malone and Tom Thibodeau—due to a desire to keep coaching salaries significantly below market value.
According to reports from Sportsnaut and other sources as of April 2026:

• The Issue: Dundon is reportedly looking to pay his next head coach no more than $1.5 million annually, which is well below the market rate for experienced NBA head coaches, with some reports saying he preferred to stay around $1 million.
• The Candidates: Michael Malone and Tom Thibodeau were cited as having been contacted but quickly fell out of consideration due to the low-ball financial terms.
• Broader Context: This situation is part of a larger, controversial pattern of cost-cutting by Dundon in his first month of ownership, which has reportedly included reducing player travel luxuries and cutting staff expenses.
• Splitter's Status: Despite leading the team to the playoffs as an interim coach, Tiago Splitter was also reportedly offered a low-ball contract, creating uncertainty about his future.
  KGW +5

Contradictory Reports: While several outlets reported on this "cheapness," The Athleticpublished a report on April 21, 2026, where sources disputed that characterization as "inaccurate and misleading," stating that Dundon has cast a wide net in his search

 

[BigGameDamian]

 

[sheed30]

lol come on, yea he offered him the job…lmao thanks for the laughs

 

[SlyPokerDog]

National media on sirius, who in general dont give a shit about POR, are consistently baffled there is even a discussion about this: it should 100% Splitter's job.

Even Chauncey has bet Tiago will get it.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

NBA Base... head.

 

[julius]

I am willing to bet everything I own that this 100% did not happen

 

[blazerkor]

This shit is wild. The narrative is out of hand and I don't mean that as a dig against the journalists.

Honestly, I do hope our team very clearly refutes this by getting Tiago a contract for at least 4M a season. There are probably a couple of other ways to save face, all of which have us paying our new head coach at least as much as the lowest paid head coach in the league.

If we end up getting some no name college guy to coach for less than 4M a season it's going to be a huge black eye for our team.

 

[sheed30]

It seems like only roughly around 32% of coach salaries are pubic. The rest is not public

Of what is public, Doug Christie is currently the lowest paid coach in the NBA at 2M per year.

 

[BBert]

It seems like only roughly around 32% of coach salaries are pubic.

There's a joke here somewhere

 

[THE HCP]

This toothpaste ain’t going back in the tube FAMS! Damage is done.

 

[julius]

This toothpaste ain’t going back in the tube FAMS! Damage is done.

A lie can around the world twice before the truth can even get out of bed