Fresh off one of the best playoff runs in team history, the New Orleans Pelicans are apparently making sure that the coach who presided over that run — Alvin Gentry — will not be leaving town anytime soon.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Pelicans and Gentry have agreed to a contract extension that will keep the coach in New Orleans for two more seasons. Gentry is 112-134 in three seasons as the Pelicans’ coach, but enjoyed his first winning season with the team in 2017-18, going 48-34.
In the playoffs, the Pelicans swept the No. 3-seeded Portland Trail Blazers before falling to the Golden State Warriors in five games in the Western Conference semifinals. Here’s more from Wojnarowski on the reported deal:
New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry has agreed to a two-year contract extension that will take his deal through the 2020-21 season, league sources told ESPN.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps had previously exercised the team option on the 2018-19 season prior to the team’s first-round sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Gentry will receive a raise on his 2018-19 salary, a guaranteed contract for 2019-20 and a 2020-21 contract that will be performance-based, league sources said.
For the Pelicans, Gentry’s extension offers some organizational stability surrounding superstar Anthony Davis and All-NBA defensive guard Jrue Holiday. The Pelicans are interested in re-signing free agent center DeMarcus Cousins and guard Rajon Rondo.
Gentry, 63, led the Pelicans to a 48-34 regular season and a sixth seed in the Western Conference before a 4-0 series victory over Portland in the first-round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The Pelicans lost to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals.
Gentry was hired as the Pelicans’ coach in May of 2015, when he was an assistant on the Warriors. Gentry won a title with Golden State in 2015 before moving on to coach the Pelicans. New Orleans has key several players who are unrestricted free agents this summer, including Ian Clark, Rajon Rondo, Jordan Crawford and All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins.
Wojnarowski reports that Gentry’s extension offers some organizational stability for the Pelicans and their core of star big man Anthony Davis and All-Defensive first team guard Jrue Holiday.
