Months before the Kings' latest coaching search would officially begin, there was only one name connected to the job that was so widely expected to be open: Eddie Jordan.
But on Friday, the Kings' courting of the former Washington and Kings coach came to an involuntary end as he agreed to become the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Jordan – who was the first to interview for the Kings' job – signed a guaranteed three-year deal in which he will be paid $2 million in the first season, $3 million in the second and $3.1 million in the third. Jordan is owed $4 million from Washington for next season, but that amount will be offset by his new contract.
Former Minnesota coach and current Dallas assistant Dwane Casey and Jordan were the only ones to receive second interviews with Philadelphia. The 76ers had also interviewed Boston associate head coach Tom Thibodeau, Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis, 76ers pro personnel scout Chris Ford and Villanova coach Jay Wright.
Jordan's agreement – which was acknowledged by the Sixers late Friday – leaves the Kings in a less-than-ideal situation. With the coach so many expected to get the job no longer a possibility, they are down to three candidates. Thibodeau will be interviewed today in Las Vegas, with Rambis expected to quickly follow now that his team has concluded the Western Conference finals.
But Jordan was long considered a front-runner for the job, his advantages ranging from his Kings background (he was the head coach from late in the 1996-97 season through the 1997-98 campaign) to his known comfort level with basketball president Geoff Petrie.
Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.
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