Lionel Hollins has said definitively he would like to be back in Memphis next season.
When given the opportunity, however, team management failed to echo that same sentiment about Hollins, a likely candidate to be the Nets’ next head coach.
Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien met with reporters in the wake of Memphis’ playoff exit at the hands of the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, and despite being given several opportunities to do so, never said that Memphis wants Hollins — whose contract expires on June 30 — to return.
“I think what I would say at this point is … up to this point, we said we didn’t want to negotiate or talk about his contract status publicly and I think we’re going to stick with that,” Levien said in Memphis when asked directly if the team wants Hollins back. “Certainly, we admire the job he’s done, and it was very helpful and very positive. … We had a long conversation last night in his office, [owner] Robert [Pera], myself and Lionel, talking about the team and the community and the organization and sort of what the potential is for it.
“I thought that was a very positive conversation on the heels of a very emotional ending to the season.”
Levien is part of the new regime that came into power in Memphis after longtime owner Michael Heisley sold the team to Pera just prior to the start of the season. It was that new regime that led the charge to trade Rudy Gay to Toronto — a deal Hollins spoke out against publicly initially — and led to plenty of speculation that both general manager Chris Wallace and Hollins, both of whom are working on expiring deals, will be working elsewhere next season.
In addition to the Nets, Hollins could be targeted by the Clippers and Bucks, after leading Memphis to an improved record in each year he was there, including a franchise-best 56 wins this season. Levien declined to comment on whether any teams have approached Memphis to speak to Hollins, and after the coach said he didn’t anticipate the Grizzlies allowing him to speak to teams before his contract expires at the end of next month, Levien danced around that subject, as well.
“I think I’m probably better off not engaging in hypotheticals at this point,” he said. “That’s not something we’ve focused on. … The season is 18 hours old, and certainly Lionel was a great asset to us, and he was here long before we got here and we’re very proud of the way the team performed and certainly disappointed by the ending.
“It was an emotional evening and an emotional day today with the players, and that’s where our focus has been.”