Report: Mavericks, coach Carlisle nearing 5-year extension
The Dallas Mavericks and head coach Rick Carlisle are reportedly nearing an agreement on a five-year contract extension, with the two parties in "advanced negotiations," according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
Carlisle is entering his eighth season as head coach in Dallas, making him the NBA's third longest-tenured coach, behind only San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, and Miami's Erik Spoelstra.
In 2012, he signed a four-year extension with the franchise that's kept him on the sidelines in Dallas through at least this season. The 55-year-old is just one win shy of tying Hall of Famer Don Nelson's franchise record of 339 victories as coach of the Mavericks.
"Rick (Carlisle) is our Jerry Sloan," Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said following the team's postseason exit last year, per Mavs.com's Earl K. Sneed. "I think he’s one of the top coaches in the league, if not the top coach. We’re blessed and lucky to have him. He can be in Dallas as long as he wants to be."
The Mavericks finished 2014-15 with a 50-32 record, but fell in five games to the Houston Rockets in the opening round. It was the fourth time Carlisle's Mavericks reached the 50-win mark since he earned the job in 2008.
In 2011, Carlisle led the Mavericks to the franchise's only NBA championship, when they defeated the Miami Heat in six games.