The Cleveland Cavaliers may be putting on the full-court press to try to convince Donovan Mitchell to stay.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on Friday that the Cavaliers will be interviewing New York Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant for their head coaching job. Wojnarowski also mentions Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn as another new addition to the list of interviewees for Cleveland.
Bryant, still just 38 years old, is already a highly-regarded coach on his own merits. He has served as associate HC for the Knicks since 2020, a span over which the team has gone 175-143 (.550) with three playoff berths. Bryant is also known for his strong track record in player development.
But another interesting factor with Bryant is his close relationship with Cavs star Donovan Mitchell. From 2014-20, Bryant was an assistant for the Utah Jazz (where Mitchell played from 2017-22). He was credited with helping Mitchell develop into a perennial All-Star and was once described by the New York Daily News as Mitchell’s “personal growth coach.”
The Cavaliers are looking for a new head coach after recently firing JB Bickerstaff. Mitchell can also become a free agent after the 2024-25 NBA season, and Cleveland reportedly wants to either extend him or trade him this offseason. For the moment, it appears that there is another candidate who is the frontrunner for Cavaliers head coach. But if the team’s absolute top priority is to retain Mitchell, Bryant might just end up being their guy.
