Lionel Hollins may or may not be available to teams come next year, but that certainly is not stopping franchises from pursuing him like he is already available. The Memphis Grizzlies are still competing in this year's playoffs, which is only heating up the interest around Hollins. With multiple teams in the market for a new head coach, Hollins' proven success in a small market makes him an ideal candidate.
Hollins is still under contract. Memphis has said they want Hollins back. The catch is the fact that his contract expires at the end of June. This has many teams thinking that if they can offer him a better deal, they might be able to pull the head coach away from the Grizzlies. The Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets are currently the two teams showing the most interest in interviewing Hollins. When the Grizzlies' season comes to an end, Memphis will have plenty of competition trying to retain him.
The Nets have several marquee players that could help lure Hollins in as a head coach. Brooklyn has the money to offer him a very lucrative contract. They are in a larger market that could equal to more opportunities for Hollins. The team is reportedly honing in on the Grizzlies coach and plans on battling Memphis for him.
The Clippers do not yet have a vacancy at head coach, but that is not stopping them from shopping around. It is unclear what they plan on doing with current coach Vinny Del Negro and if they think they can get someone better, the team will likely fire him. Los Angeles has been scouting Hollins for some time and if they can win the bidding war on him, they will pull the trigger and sign him.
All of this speculation is happening while Hollins is still actively coaching. He is still working for Memphis, a team that has been vocal with their intent on retaining him as head coach. Hollins has brought success to the Grizzlies over recent years and Memphis has no intentions of letting him go. Hollins himself has said he has had meetings with the team's front office and they have said they want him back and will look to extend his contract when the season is over.
Whenever Memphis' season ends, the team better be prepared for the bidding war that will take place with Hollins. Coach's salaries are not capped like the player's salaries are, so if Hollins is interested in a pay raise, plenty of teams will be willing to give it to him.