Breaking: Kenny Atkinson named next Cleveland Cavaliers head coach

After more than a month of speculation and interview, the Cleveland Cavaliers have selected the next head coach of the organization for the 2024-25 season.

Following a second-round exit to the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, the Cavaliers fired four-year head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Immediately, two former head coaches in James Borrego and Kenny Atkinson emerged as heavy favorites for the vacancy. Still, the Cavs conducted an extensive search, interviewing a plethora of assistant coaches, including Ohio-born Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori.

In the past two regular seasons, Bickerstaff led the Cavaliers to a total 99 wins and two playoff appearances. Given a superstar in Donovan Mitchell and a thriving young core, the Cavs vacancy has been viewed as the most attractive to potential candidates, even beating the esteemed Los Angeles Lakers.

Borrego took an early lead, becoming a frontrunner in the final round of interviews until a sudden shift put Atkinson and Borrego "neck-and-neck" for the position. Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert reportedly had significant interest in Atkinson based on a recommendation from legendary Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. There is never a Cavs head coaching search that does not feature Izzo in some capacity.

In the end, the Cavaliers ended where they began, hiring Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.

Atkinson's coaching history and Cavaliers ties

With the hiring of Kenny Atkinson, the Cavaliers bring in a coach with proven offensive knowledge and a winning mentality. In 2016, Atkinson assumed the head coaching role with the Brooklyn Nets, leading them to one playoff run in four years and steadily improving a young core to become a real competitor in the Eastern Conference. When the Nets suddenly shifted to a star-focused roster, Atkinson reportedly butted heads with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, leading to his dismissal in 2020.

Atkinson then joined the Los Angeles Clippers as an assistant coach for one season before joining Steve Kerr on the Warriors where he spent the next three years. Learning under the league's premier coach for movement offense and stifling defense gave Atkinson postseason coaching experience and an opportunity to realize how to maximize superstar guards, something he will have to do with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. Atkinson joins the Cavaliers as a former NBA Championship coach, working with the Warriors during their 2022 Finals run.

During his tenure with Brooklyn, Atkinson mentored Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen in his earliest years and Caris LeVert. When Atkinson mutually left the Nets, Allen praised him and said whoever hired him would get "a hell of a coach" to lead their team. Atkinson's connections to Allen and LeVert should make his transition to the Cavaliers job relatively smooth.

In his news breaking report, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN also noted that the Cavaliers front office showed significant excitement for Atkinson's history of player development, citing his potential to unlock Evan Mobley next season.

With a head coach secured, the Cleveland Cavaliers shift their focus to the NBA Draft and signing Mitchell to a maximum four-year extension.