Mike D'Antoni informed the Houston Rockets Sunday that he will not return as the team's head coach next season. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that D'Antoni is already being considered for the Philadelphia 76ers job, noting D'Antoni previously served as an assistant for former Sixers head coach Brett Brown.
D'Antoni entered the 2019-20 campaign on an expiring contract, and he will officially become a free agent in the head coaching ranks.
It is possible D'Antoni goes from a contender in the West to a contender in the East. D'Antoni and the Sixers would certainly make for an interesting partnership.
Philadelphia, like Houston, would seem to be a team in transition after some disappointing playoff defeats in the last couple years. This transitory phase could become all the more interesting if the Sixers hire D'Antoni.
The Sixers have one of the best centers in the league in Joel Embiid. However, D'Antoni's offensive systems typically prioritize pace and space, which would hardly seem to fit Philadelphia's current roster.
This begs the question: if the Sixers do indeed hire D'Antoni, will Embiid be a potential trade piece?
Philly has a lot of money tied up in Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris and Al Horford. Perhaps they choose to move on from Embiid in an effort to acquire wing players who can add defense and shooting, as well as future value in the way of picks.
Of course, this is all speculative, and ultimately dependent on whether the Sixers bring D'Antoni aboard.
In any case, it appears Mike D'Antoni will have options on the open market.
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