Donovan Mitchell Already Has A Coach In Mind If Kenny Atkinson Gets Fired

Every season, the coaching carousel is a trending topic in the NBA. It’s not a good sign, however, when a star player already has a replacement in mind even before his head coach receives the pink slip.

According to NBA insider Grant Afseth, Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell has a preference in the scenario that his current coach, Kenny Atkinson, is dismissed. Apparently, Mitchell’s desired replacement is a homer pick.

“If the Cavaliers were to eventually move on from Atkinson, sources tell DallasHoopsJournal.com, that Mitchell’s preferred interim head coach would be current assistant coach Johnnie Bryant,” Afseth wrote on Monday.

Bryant, who played point guard during his college days with the Utah Utes, has been an NBA assistant coach for over a decade. His first gig as an assistant came with the Utah Jazz, a team with which he was affiliated from 2014 to 2020. It was during Bryant’s stint with the Jazz that he developed a bond with Mitchell, who made the All-Star team right before Bryant left Utah.

It should be recalled, of course, that Atkinson is coming off a strong debut season as head coach of the Cavaliers. In the 2024–25 campaign, the Cavs won 64 regular-season games and reached the second round of the playoffs. Atkinson was named Coach of the Year and, for good measure, Mitchell earned a spot on the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career.

However, the Cavs’ fortunes this season have taken a turn for the worse, as they are hovering around .500 heading into their 30th regular-season game. There are now rumblings that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is “very unhappy” with the state of the ball club, which means that a major move or two could happen to shake things up in Cleveland.

Atkinson’s dismissal, then, is a scenario that could play out over the next several weeks. While the Cavaliers have a number of options to choose from, it’s possible that their star player, Mitchell, would make his voice heard one way or another in that interim period. If Mitchell gets his way, his longtime assistant coach could be in line for a promotion.