The Portland Trail Blazers have hired Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as the franchise's new head coach, the team announced Tuesday.
Nori -- widely regarded as one of the league's top assistants -- has been in the NBA coaching ranks since 2009. Sources confirmed to ESPN that Nori's deal has just one guaranteed year, with options on the second and third year. Additionally, sources told ESPN that Nori's contract features a sliding-scale salary based on incentives and team success.
Portland hired Nori after Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin led a comprehensive search of over a dozen coaching interviews. The finalists for the job beyond Nori were Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook and former interim coach Tiago Splitter, who was hired by the Chicago Bulls last week.
Portland zeroed in on Nori due to his strong communication and relationship skills.
Nori has spent the past five seasons in Minnesota under head coach Chris Finch, a stretch that has seen the team post the fifth-best record in the NBA and included five postseason appearances.
During the Wolves' 2024 playoff run, Nori stepped up and handled many of the more mobile, in-game coaching duties while Finch recovered from a knee injury.
Nori has previously spent time with the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons.
The Athletic first reported news of Nori's contract having one guaranteed year.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst contributed to this report.
