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Report: Magic, Pacers eyeing ex-Blazers boss Stotts

Sam Forencich / National Basketball Association / Getty

The NBA coaching carousel continues to turn, with familiar names rumored to land at a number of destinations.

The Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers are considering hiring former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, sources told The New York Times' Marc Stein.

Pacers bench boss Nate Bjorkgren remains under contract as the team evaluates his role following one season in charge.

"You don't win 34 games with a decimated roster without doing some good things, too," Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said of Bjorkgren.

"But there are some things that we need to do better, he needs to do better. Right now, no decisions have been made," Pritchard added.

The Magic mutually agreed to part ways with head coach Steve Clifford on Saturday, a day after Stotts' tenure in Portland ended.

Stotts guided the Blazers to eight straight playoff appearances and one Western Conference finals trip in his nine seasons with the team.

The Pacers finished ninth in the Eastern Conference this season and were swiftly eliminated from the play-in round. However, T.J. Warren missed the entire season due to injury, and big man Myles Turner was sidelined for the team's final 16 regular-season games with a toe ailment. Doug McDermott and T.J. McConnell are eligible for free agency this offseason.

Meanwhile, Orlando is looking at a long-awaited rebuild. Key contributors Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier were all traded at the deadline. The Magic have the third-best odds of locking up the top spot in the 2021 NBA Draft after finishing the season with a 21-51 record.

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