Report: Thunder hiring longtime Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland

The Oklahoma City Thunder are hiring San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Wojnarowski says the longtime Spurs assistant left the club because “the sides couldn’t agree on a new contract.”

This news comes almost three weeks following a tweet from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report that said Engelland would depart San Antonio once his contract expired.

Engelland joined the Spurs in 2005 and spent 17 years on the sidelines as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich. The acclaimed shot doctor has an extensive history of helping prospects like Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, and Dejounte Murray develop dangerous off-the-dribble jumpers.

The Silver and Black alumnus will have an opportunity to work with Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Chet Holmgren, some of the most talented youngsters in the NBA.

Assistant coaches Becky Hammon, James Borrego, Ettorre Messina, Ime Udoka, and Will Hardy are among the distinguished names that have also moved on to other organizations over the last half-decade.

The Spurs will square off with Oklahoma City for their preseason finale at the AT&T Center on October 13 at 7:00 PM CT. And it should be intriguing to see how the audience welcomes Chip Engelland when he visits his old stomping grounds.