Cavs to hire Kenny Atkinson as head coach

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs have their man.

Sources tell cleveland.com that a long and exhaustive search ended on Monday morning with the franchise choosing Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, considered one of the favorites from the beginning, to replace fired J.B. Bickerstaff. The Cavs and Atkinson, sources say, are currently working on contract details and an official deal is expected soon.

Over the last month-plus, the Cavs conducted numerous interviews with upwards of 10 candidates — over Zoom and in person — and eventually narrowed down their finalists to three: Atkinson, New Orleans associate coach James Borrego and Minnesota’s Micah Nori, a trio who came into town for in-person interviews and meetings with team decision-makers.

As the Cavs grew closer to a decision, it came down to Atkinson or Borrego, with plenty of back and forth about the two prime candidates.

Ultimately, after a meeting with chairman Dan Gilbert on Wednesday playing a significant role, Cleveland chose Atkinson, the former head coach of the Brooklyn Nets who stood out because of his leadership, teaching, offensive mind and player development background — a key point for a franchise that understands the importance of fourth-year forward Evan Mobley.

Sources say star guard Donovan Mitchell, who the Cavs are optimistic of signing to an extension this summer, had a conversation with Atkinson and gave his approval. Cleveland also spoke to a handful of other former Atkinson players, including Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, while gathering intel and background information. Both Allen and LeVert, sources say, spoke highly of Atkinson as a leader and tactician.

A former college point guard, Atkinson started his NBA coaching career as an assistant under Mike D’Antoni in New York about 15 years ago. He got his first — and only — head-coaching opportunity eight years later, guiding the Brooklyn Nets through a rebuild and making the playoffs in his third season before resigning amid an ownership change and sweeping roster changes that included the arrivals of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

During his time in Brooklyn, Atkinson went 118-190 overall and 1-4 in the playoffs.

Over the last three seasons, Atkinson has served as an assistant in Golden State under Steve Kerr. In 2022, Atkinson accepted the head coaching job of the Charlotte Hornets before changing his mind and remaining with the Warriors. He has also worked as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers (2020-21), the Atlanta Hawks (2012-16) and New York Knicks (2008-12).

Atkinson replaces Bickerstaff, who was fired May 23 after four-plus seasons in charge. He compiled a 170-159 regular-season record and guided Cleveland back to relevance — a coaching run that culminated with back-to-back playoff appearances and the franchise’s first series win without LeBron James in more than three decades.

Bickerstaff was promoted from Cavs associate head coach in February 2020, replacing John Beiling after a sloppy 14-40 start that led to him stepping down before completing one full season in the NBA.

While the Cavs gave Bickerstaff a contract extension through the 2026-27 season in December 2021, they moved on following the Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics last month, with president of basketball operations Koby Altman citing the need for a new voice and direction.

“J.B. is a well-respected NBA coach and an incredible human-being,” said Altman. “Over the past four years, he helped establish a culture that progressively drove players to become the best versions of themselves. Decisions like these are never easy, particularly when you look back at where this franchise rebuild started under his leadership. The NBA is a unique business that sometimes requires aggressive risk-taking to move a franchise forward and ultimately compete for championships.”

Hiring Atkinson as Bickerstaff’s successor is the first step in critical offseason for the Cavs.