PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaches Scott Brooks and Rodney Billups won't have their contracts renewed this offseason, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian reported Sunday.
The news was also confirmed by Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report.
Brooks was the lead assistant on head coach Chauncey Billups' staff. He was hired prior to the 2021-22 season. Rodney Billups is Chauncey Billups' younger brother. Fentress reported that the younger Billups "specialized in development and defense." He'd also been with the team since 2021.
The Blazers will now have three open coaching positions to fill this offseason. Assistant coach Steve Hetzel left Portland to join the Brooklyn Nets' coaching staff last month.
Next season will be the final guaranteed year on Billups' contract as head coach. The Blazers hold a team option on his contract for the 2025-26 season. In three seasons, Billups has a winning percentage of .329 (81 wins, 165 losses). During the end-of-season news conference on April 15, general manager Joe Cronin said Billups would be back next season and praised his leadership and work within all levels of the organization.
"Chauncey's an incredible leader in this organization. He goes above and beyond what a standard coach does," Cronin said. "He helps me with staffing; he's a part of all of our high-end staffing interviews. We spend a lot of time talking about our different departments within this organization and how we can make them better. He's really active with feedback and ideas and looking at ways that we can improve.
"He's an incredible teacher, not just with our players and their development and teaching them how to navigate this league, but also to our staff. He's a valuable scout. He's got a great eye and great feel for the game. His personality is thoroughly felt throughout this building."
Key offseason dates
- May 12: NBA draft lottery
- June 26-27: NBA draft
- July 1: Unofficial start of free agency
- July 6: Official start of free agency
- July 12-22: NBA summer league in Las Vegas