Former Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori was announced as the new Portland Trail Blazers head coach on Tuesday. Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin conducted the intensive search for the franchise’s next head coach after interim coach Tiago Splitter took the Chicago Bulls job.
Micah Nori Contract Shocks NFL Agents
According to reports, Nori signed an unusual deal with the Blazers, getting only one guaranteed year, with team options on the second and third years. The former Timberwolves assistant’s unique contract also features a sliding-scale salary based on incentives and team success.
After Nori’s Portland deal was announced, CBS Sports’ NFL insider Jonathan Jones revealed on X that the unusual contract’s structure shocked NFL agents.
“I have texted with several NFL coach/exec agents since I saw this tweet asking “when is the last time you heard of a head coach in pro sports signing a one-year deal?” A sampling of some of their responses,” Jones wrote.
“Never” 2x “Um… never”, “That’s insane.” “That’s wild. Haven’t heard of that.” *eyes emoji,* read the replies according to Jones.
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Since billionaire businessman Tom Dundon and a group of investors took over the Trail Blazers earlier this year, they have been criticized for their extreme cost-cutting, which included not allowing the team’s two-way players to travel to San Antonio for the playoff series against the Spurs.
Nori had been coach Chris Finch’s lead assistant in Minnesota for five seasons before he departed for Portland. That period coincided with five postseason runs and the Wolves’ fifth-best record in the league.
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He even took over the Timberwolves’ in-game coaching duties during the 2024 playoffs as Finch recovered from a knee injury sustained in Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns.
The finalists for the Trail Blazers job included Tiago Splitter before he took the Bulls job and Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook, before Cronin finally settled on Nori.
Nori, who was a three-sport athlete, played baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers before becoming a graduate assistant for the baseball team at Miami University, where he also earned a master’s degree in sports organization.
In his extensive coaching career, he has served in various capacities in the NBA, including as an intern, an advance scout, a director of scouting, a player development coach, and an offensive coordinator.
Over the years, Nori has rocked up at different teams in the league, including the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and the Timberwolves.
