David Blatt will return to Turkey, wait for another NBA opportunity

There won't be an NBA return for David Blatt this season.

The former Cleveland Cavaliers bench boss will again coach Turkish club Darussafaka in the upcoming season while he waits for another NBA opportunity, the Jerusalem Post's Allon Sinai reported.

“I have an end game and that end game is that I would really like to go back to the NBA,” Blatt said.

“There were no changes in the NBA this year from a coaching standpoint and my real goal is to try next year to get back into the league as a head coach. It may happen and it may not happen. But I wanted to leave that door open for myself if the opportunity arises.”

Blatt considered accepting a "lucrative three-year deal" earlier this summer to coach Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel before choosing a return to Turkey. He's coached Maccabi at multiple points in his career, including a most recent stint from 2010-14.

“With my long and very good relationship with Maccabi, I just felt that it wouldn’t be right on my part to take over a program that really needs a long term commitment and overhaul and then after one year, if I decide to, take advantage of an option and leave for the NBA,” Blatt said.

The 58-year-old's only NBA head coaching job ended midway through the 2015-16 season when he was fired by Cleveland during his second campaign with the team. The Cavaliers went a combined 83-40 with Blatt at the helm, and lost in the 2014-15 Finals.