Jeff Van Gundy has emerged as one of the finalists for the Portland Trail Blazers' head-coaching job, after the team requested permission to interview the Los Angeles Clippers assistant on Thursday, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.

The opening comes with Portland still sorting through the future of its bench after Tiago Splitter guided the club to a 42-39 finish in the interim role and into the playoffs. The Blazers then fell in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs, leaving the franchise to decide whether to keep moving forward with a veteran candidate or stay with the coach who stabilized the team for most of the season.

Van Gundy brings a long résumé to the search. He coached the New York Knicks from the 1995-96 season through the 2001-02 season, then returned to the sideline with the Houston Rockets from 2003-04 through 2006-07. Over that span, he went 430-318 with nine playoff appearances, and his Knicks reached the 1999 NBA Finals. He has also worked as an assistant for the Eastern Conference team and has spent the past two seasons on the Clippers' staff.

Portland's interest in Van Gundy comes after reporting earlier this week said it could no longer be ruled out that Splitter becomes Chauncey Billups' full-time replacement. That keeps the job open to more than one path, even after Splitter's strong interim run, and suggests the Blazers are weighing experience against continuity as they build around a young core led by Deni Avdija and Scoot Henderson.

Damian Lillard also figures to return next season after missing the 2025-26 campaign while recovering from an Achilles injury, giving Portland another major piece to factor into the decision. For a team that has already shown it can compete under Splitter, the choice now is whether to hand the job to a proven veteran like Van Gundy or reward the coach who delivered the season's turnaround.