Reports: Former New York Knicks Assisstant Have Been Signed By The Cleveland Cavaliers As…..Read more

Johnnie Bryant, who has been an assistant with the New York Knicks, will be joining the staff of Cleveland’s new coach Kenny Atkinson, according to an AP source. The news broke on Saturday. According to an anonymous source, Bryant will serve as an associate head coach for the Cavaliers. Bryant interviewed for the position prior to Atkinson’s hiring. The team has not officially confirmed the appointment.

Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell will be in Cleveland to reunite with Bryant. Mitchell has frequently said that Bryant, who is 29 years old, helped him become a better player during their time working together in Utah. This week, the Cavaliers and Mitchell extended their contract by three years and $150.3 million. He made the decision shortly after Cleveland hired Atkinson, a former Brooklyn coach who had been an assistant with the Warriors for the previous three seasons.

The Jazz had Bryant for six years. When it looked like Mitchell was going to the Knicks in a trade in 2020, he moved to New York. The Cavaliers then pulled off a blockbuster trade to get the 27-year-old. Atkinson has hired DeMarre Carroll and Jordan Ott, two ex-NBA players and assistants, but he is still missing one member of his staff. Ott is leading the Cleveland Indians’ Summer League squad in the Sin City.