I know it’s the first full weekend of NBA free agency but because the Portland Trail Blazers are yet to do anything of note, we turn to the bench and its newest additions.
Three seats opened up on Chauncey Billups’ sidelines after the end of the 2023-24 season, two of which were purposefully made vacant by the Blazers.
Steve Hetzel was poached by new Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez as his lead assistant. The Blazers then chose not to renew the contracts of Rodney Billups and lead assistant Scoot Brooks.
While the younger Billups didn’t make it onto an NBA bench until big brother hired him in 2022, the Blazers lost a combined 39 years of coaching experience in Brooks and Hetzel.