Five-star combo guard Dylan Mingo is officially re-opening his commitment after the University of North Carolina decided to part ways following the hiring of former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.

Mingo is currently the eighth-ranked player in the 2026 class and was the second-highest-rated guard to ever commit to North Carolina. Mingo was viewed as a huge get for then-head coach Hubert Davis, but his firing changed things for the Tar Heels and Mingo.

Conversations between Malone and the Mingo family deteriorated this weekend, according to reports, prompting them to part ways.

Some of the factors that led to the split come from NIL, roster concerns and injury concerns, as Mingo missed the majority of his senior season due to an ankle injury. Mingo was set to be one of the more expensive players on the roster, and Malone opted to go in a different direction.

Mingo also has concerns about his shooting, as the guard shot just 23% from three in EYBL games and is said to have “unorthodox mechanics.”

This also comes as North Carolina picked up a recent portal commit, Neoklis Avdalas, who spent his freshman season at Virginia Tech. Carolina also has its eyes set on portal guards Terrence Brown and Juke Harris, who recently visited Chapel Hill. It seems they want a more experienced point guard to run Malone’s offense.

Mingo originally chose North Carolina over Penn State, Baylor and Washington before re-opening his recruitment. Mingo’s brother, Kayden Mingo, is currently in the transfer portal, so the possibility of the brothers playing together remains.

Malone was able to retain four-star commit and McDonald’s All-American Maximo Adams, along with three-star Malloy Smith.

It is a new era in Chapel Hill, and Malone will be coaching an almost entirely new roster, aside from forward Jarin Stevenson and guard Jaydon Young. It is unknown whether big man Henri Veesaar will declare for the draft or elect to return to college.

North Carolina’s coaching search has come to an end, with the hiring of former Denver Nuggets head coach and NBA champion Michael Malone, in hopes of returning to being a dominant program once again.

The news came out of nowhere, with Malone’s name not discussed as much as other potential names, like Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan or Tommy Lloyd, before he agreed to an extension with Arizona.

Malone does have a connection to the University of North Carolina, as his daughter plays volleyball for the Tar Heels, but this is the first time that UNC has gone outside of the “Carolina family” to hire a new head coach.

The former NBA Champion is known for his X’s and O’s and for being a schematically sound head coach, which should benefit UNC. The question is how quickly Malone can adapt to the college environment with NIL and the transfer portal.

It was important for UNC to make its hire before the transfer portal opened up on April 7 because the last thing they wanted was to be behind in the portal.

The last time Malone coached in college was way before NIL and the portal, when he was an assistant coach at Manhattan in 2001.

UNC wanted to make sure they made a splash hire and someone who had a pedigree, and they got exactly that because Malone is the only college coach in the country who has won an NBA title.

Malone made a statement about becoming the new Tar Heel head coach, saying, “Carolina is one of the most historic programs in college basketball, and I am honored to be the head coach of the Tar Heels.”

“It is humbling to follow so many legends in Chapel Hill. I know from the many Tar Heels in the NBA how special the Carolina Basketball Family is, and I will do everything I can to continue UNC’s championship legacy while preparing our players for professional careers and life after basketball.”

The Tar Heels have failed to make it out of the first round in back-to-back seasons, which is far from the expectation for a blue blood like North Carolina. Malone hopes to bring them back to the forefront of college basketball as they once were.

The New York Knicks are the only team with a current vacancy in their head coaching spot after deciding to fire Tom Thibodeau earlier this week.

There is likely high interest in the position, given the success the Knicks’ roster achieved this season.

Knicks Coaching Rumors

“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” the team said in a statement following Thibodeau’s departure.

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori interviewed for the role this week.

Many other names have been in the mix.

Former Villanova head coach Jay Wright has been frequently mentioned. Wright has been retired from coaching basketball following his decision to leave Villanova in 2022.

However, analyst Seth Davis, who works with Wright on CBS, posted on social media that Wright is unlikely to leap to the NBA.

Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has been another name floating around. Just two seasons ago, Malone helped lead the Denver Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA championship.

The New York Times also reported that Luke Walton and Mike Brown are two names floating around.

The team is reportedly “comfortable” not having a coach until the start of the Summer League, so there is time for the front office to pick the right candidate.

As it stands, Malone is the betting favorite at +125 to be the next head coach for the Knicks.

After the Denver Nuggets cleared house, firing both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, reports came out that Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook was a factor in the decision to fire both.

Disagreements between Malone and Booth about using Westbrook were part of a strenuous relationship. Additionally, reports of Malone’s leniency toward Westbrook were off-putting to many of the team’s players.

During a press conference on Monday, Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke denied any correlation between Westbrook and the firings of both Malone and Booth.

“Russ has been nothing but a positive for our group,” Kroenke said. “Russ was a very spicy ingredient for us to add, and we needed it.”

The Nuggets finished the season at 50-32 and the fourth seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the first game of the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets and Clippers split their regular-season series with two wins apiece.

In a year in which the Western Conference has so many high-quality teams, the Nuggets need to ensure that the noise is gone if they hope to contend for a title.

The Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic revealed that he knew about the firing of former head coach Michael Malone before the decision was public.

“I knew a little bit before everybody,” Jokic said. “We made a decision, it was not a discussion.”

Before interim head coach David Adelman took over, Malone had been the only coach Jokic had in his NBA career.

“It was a 10-year relationship, so it was a heavy day for everybody,” Jokic said. “But I would say it’s part of the business.”

Reports of tension in the front office led to Malone being released, along with Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth. Frustrations were boiling over in the locker room as well. Players were visibly frustrated before, during and after games.

The Denver Nuggets cleaned house Tuesday, firing both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth in a shocking move with the playoffs right around the corner.

The Nuggets have named David Adelman, their lead assistant, as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

In 10 seasons as Denver’s head coach, Malone led the team to its first and only championship, finishing with a 471-327 record.

“They’ve lost four games in a row, they’re now in the bottom-half of the league in defensive rating, and so they felt like the signs were there that this season was not going to end well,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on SportsCenter. “They’re getting out ahead of what they felt they were going to do come offseason.”

While Denver’s dismissal of both Malone and Booth comes as a surprise, tensions existed between the two.

“The fabric in what both sides had philosophically, there were some big differences there,” Charania said. “Instead of maybe letting go of one guy and keeping the other, the Nuggets, Josh Kroenke, today let go of both.”

Since the All-Star break, the Nuggets have posted an 11-13 record and are in danger of slipping into the play-in tournament.

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will be away from the team while he recovers from lacerations to his hands and face. Gordon reportedly sustained the injuries when a dog bit him on Christmas Day.

“He’s hanging in there,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters Wednesday. “Obviously, a very traumatic experience and the most important thing I told him is that you take as much time as you need. We’re a family — wins, losses, and when people go through tough times like Aaron’s going through right now.”

The Nuggets issued a statement about Gordon’s condition Wednesday, claiming that he required 21 stitches and will not be with the team until at least the new year. The organization did not provide a firm timeframe for his return, though Malone went on to say that he should be right back in the starting lineup when he returns.

“We have his back. We love him. We’re here for him,” Malone said. “So whenever he’s able to come back, we’re going to open our arms up and embrace him. I told all the guys to make sure they’re reaching out to him, to make sure he’s never feeling like he’s on an island.”

Gordon has been with Denver for more than three seasons and has started his entire run with the team. The 28-year-old is averaging 13.6 points per game in the 2023-24 season, serving a solid complementary role to star teammates Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Malone made it clear that Gordon is a close-knit member of reigning champs. The forward even traveled to Serbia with Jokic to attend a horse racing event this past off-season.

While Gordon is away from the team, Peyton Watson and Christian Braun are expected to get more work off the bench, though this could deplete Denver’s reserves late in games.