Spurs have their eye on specific Gregg Popovich coach replacement?

Gregg Popovich is 73 years old and has been coaching the San Antonio Spurs since 1996. He just surpassed Don Nelson for the most wins ever by an NBA coach, and he is likely considering retirement. Accordingly, the Spurs are thining about their options for the future, and they may have an eventual replacement in mind.

NBA reporter Marc Stein reported that he has heard Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder mentioned more and more as a potential Popovich replacement.

Quin Snyder is a potential candidate to replace Gregg Popovich, per @TheSteinLine

“More and more, I hear Snyder's name as a potential Pop successor that the Spurs would naturally relish.”

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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 13, 2022

Snyder, 55, played at Duke in the 80s and went into coaching shortly thereafter. He coached in college at Missouri and then spent time in the NBA as an assistant before becoming Utah’s coach in 2014. He does have a tie to the Spurs as he previously coached their developmental team.

Snyder has coached the Jazz since 2014 and posted five straight winning seasons. They have made the playoffs each of the last five seasons but Utah has not surpassed the second round under Snyder.

The Jazz seem to have a nice core of players, so leaving for the Spurs, doesn’t seem to be much more appealing. But maybe San Antonio might feel they would have a chance to lure him away given their winning history.

There is also no indication on when Popovich might retire.

Photo: Feb 8, 2020; Sacramento, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich on the sideline against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports