Steve Clifford to step down as Hornets head coach after season

Hornets head coach Steve Clifford will step down from his current position with the franchise after the 2023-24 regular season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Clifford informed his players and assistants of the plan on Wednesday morning and will coach the team’s final seven games.

According to Wojnarowski, Clifford will likely remain in a front-office role with the organization. He and the team are working to finalize the details of that potential transition — Wojnarowski suggests there’s a desire from management and ownership to have the 62-year-old serve in an advisory role that would allow him to “impact all parts of the organization.”

With the Hornets under new ownership heading into the 2024 offseason, there was a sense that a head coaching change was possible. Charlotte has already undergone an in-season front office overhaul after head of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak moved into an advisory position. He was replaced by former Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson, who was named Charlotte’s executive VP of basketball operations.

However, Wojnarowski says co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin were open to bringing back Clifford. The veteran coach decided he didn’t want to commit to the “year-round grind” of the job for another year and conveyed his intentions early so that the Hornets could immediately begin searching for his successor.

Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, Celtics assistant Charles Lee, Heat assistant Chris Quinn, and Suns assistant Kevin Young are among the candidates expected to receive consideration for the permanent job in Charlotte, per Wojnarowski.

Chris Mannix of SI.com singles out Lee as a candidate to watch, noting that there’s been “a lot of chatter in coaching circles,” indicating that he’ll be a strong contender to replace Clifford.

Clifford, who also coached Charlotte from 2013 to 2018, had less success in his second stint with the club, posting a 45-112 (.287) record over the past two seasons. Multiple injuries to star point guard LaMelo Ball hamstrung Clifford and the Hornets, as did the domestic violence charges against Miles Bridges, which cost the forward the entire 2022-23 season.

The team entered 2023-24 with postseason aspirations but threw in the towel following an injury-plagued first half, trading away veterans Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, and P.J. Washington before February’s deadline.

The next Hornets’ head coach will take over a retooling club with promising building blocks, including Ball, rookie wing Brandon Miller, and young center Mark Williams. Charlotte also has the NBA’s fourth-worst record, putting the franchise in position to land a draft pick in the top half of this year’s lottery and add another core piece.

The Wizards and Nets, who have made in-season coaching changes and currently employ interim replacements, are expected to join the Hornets in seeking new head coaches this spring. Other clubs may join that list in the coming weeks.