Ryan Saunders is expected to rejoin the NBA sidelines.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Denver Nuggets are hiring the former Minnesota Timberwolves head coach for an assistant coach position.
Saunders spent five seasons as an assistant with the Washington Wizards before joining his father’s coaching staff in Minnesota. Flip Saunders died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015.
The younger Saunders replaced Tom Thibodeau as Minnesota’s head coach midway through the 2018-19 season. The Timberwolves went 43-94 during his tenure, and they fired him in February 2021 amid a 7-24 start to the season.
During his time away from coaching, Saunders taught a Sports Leadership course at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul.
Denver has made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons under head coach Mike Malone. The Golden State Warriors eliminated the Nuggets from the first round en route to the NBA Finals.
With Jamal Murray returning from an ACL tear and Michael Porter Jr. recovering from back surgery, the Nuggets could re-emerge as a top Western Conference contender next season.