Sources: Micah Nori Connected To Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers Head Coaching Jobs

DALLAS — Minnesota Timberwolves associate head coach Micah Nori is the only candidate still connected to both of the NBA’s remaining head coaching openings, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal.

Nori has been linked to the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers, the two franchises that have yet to fill their vacancies. He had also drawn serious consideration from the Chicago Bulls before they decided to hire Tiago Splitter as their next head coach.

Beyond Nori, the Mavericks have looked at Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela and Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, according to Dallas Hoops Journal sources. The Stein Line reported that former NBA head coach Terry Stotts is also among the candidates for the Dallas job.

Micah Nori’s Résumé and Defensive Reputation

Nori, 52, has spent 17 seasons as an NBA assistant and has served as the lead assistant in Minnesota since 2021, joining the organization the same year as head coach Chris Finch. His earlier stops include the Toronto Raptors from 2009 to 2013 under Jay Triano and Dwane Casey, the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets from 2013 to 2018 under Michael Malone, and the Detroit Pistons from 2018 to 2021 under Casey.

In Minnesota, Nori has functioned as the defensive architect for a team that has ranked among the league’s stingiest units, and he has played a central role in the development of Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels while Rudy Gobert won a Defensive Player of the Year award. He also has a track record with high-usage stars, dating to his time coaching Nikola Jokić in Denver. Edwards has publicly called him a “basketball genius.”

Nori has head-coaching experience to point to as well. He took over as interim coach during the 2024 playoffs after Finch ruptured his patellar tendon, then guided Minnesota past the defending champion Denver Nuggets and into the franchise’s first Western Conference Finals in 20 years. He has since interviewed for several openings, including the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024 and the New York Knicks in 2025, losing out to JJ Redick and Mike Brown.

The Masai Ujiri Connection

Part of Nori’s appeal in Dallas stems from how his background aligns with president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, even though their direct overlap was brief. Nori broke into the NBA with the Raptors while Ujiri was rising through Toronto’s front office, and the two crossed paths there before Ujiri left for Denver. Outside that short window, Nori has spent much of his career inside organizations and alongside personnel connected to Ujiri’s network.

The fit also mirrors the type of hire Ujiri has favored. In Toronto, he elevated first-time NBA head coaches Nick Nurse and Darko Rajaković, both long-tenured assistants with reputations in player development rather than established names, the same profile Nori shares.

Jama Mahlalela’s Development Pedigree and Toronto Roots

Mahlalela, 45, has the closest organizational ties to Ujiri within the group, along with one of its strongest reputations for player development. Born in Mbabane, Swaziland, and raised in the Toronto area, he captained the University of British Columbia to a Canada West title in 2003 and later had the school’s Jama Mahlalela Award created in his honor for leadership and selfless dedication.

He worked his way up through the Raptors organization, starting on the community-development side before joining Dwane Casey‘s bench in 2013, and he ran his own program as head coach of the G League’s Raptors 905 from 2018 to 2020, posting a 50-43 record.

Mahlalela then spent 2021 to 2023 as a Golden State Warriors assistant and director of player development, contributing to the franchise’s 2022 championship and earning a front-of-bench role that Steve Kerr likened to a chief of staff, before returning to Rajaković in 2023. His skills work with Raptors such as Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby and with younger Warriors like Jonathan Kuminga built his standing as one of the league’s foremost development coaches.

Mahlalela’s connection to Ujiri reaches beyond the Toronto bench, as he became involved with Giants of Africa, the basketball nonprofit Ujiri founded. Mahlalela, who has said that in his approach “people come first,” was a finalist for the New York Liberty‘s head coaching job in 2025 and currently serves as an assistant on Canada’s national team staff through the 2028 Olympics.

Royal Ivey’s Defensive Background and South Sudan Success

Ivey, 44, brings a defense-first reputation and rising head-coaching credentials of his own. A four-year starter and two-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection at Texas, he was a second-round pick in 2004 and carved out a decade-long NBA career as an on-ball defender before turning to coaching in 2014.

He has since worked as an assistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, and Brooklyn Nets, where he coached alongside Ime Udoka and overlapped with Kyrie Irving, and he followed Udoka to Houston in 2023.

Ivey has also run his own program internationally as head coach of the South Sudan national team since 2021. He guided the Bright Stars to their first World Cup in 2023 and their first Olympics in 2024, where they beat Puerto Rico for the program’s first Olympic victory after pushing the United States to a one-point loss in a pre-Games exhibition.

Terry Stotts’ Head-Coaching Experience and Offensive Track Record

Stotts, 68, brings by far the most head-coaching experience of the field. He owns a 517-486 record across 13 seasons leading the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Trail Blazers, and he guided Portland to eight consecutive playoff appearances and a Western Conference Finals trip in 2019.

Regarded as one of his era’s more inventive offensive coaches, Stotts built those Portland teams around Damian Lillard and a high-scoring pick-and-roll attack. He also knows the franchise well, having served as an assistant in Dallas under Rick Carlisle from 2008 to 2012, including the Mavericks’ 2011 championship season.

Stotts most recently worked as an assistant under Steve Kerr with the Warriors and is reportedly focused solely on head-coaching jobs.

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