Which NBA Coaches Are on the HOT SEAT in 2026-27?

August 26, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Cleveland Cavaliers won 61 games and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, then lost in the second round of the playoffs. Their head coach, Kenny Atkinson, is widely considered a good coach. And yet, according to the panel on Locked On NBA Daily, his job is probably safe. That tension — between performance and job security — runs through the entire episode, which examines which NBA coaches are genuinely at risk heading into the 2026-27 season and why.

The Hot Seat Logic: Who Gets Blamed and Who Doesn't

The hosts — West Goldberg, Matt Moore, and Hayes — evaluate coaches on a spectrum from "cold" to "hot," but the real question is always the same: when a team underperforms, does the front office fire the coach, trade the star, or run it back? The answer depends less on the coach's skill and more on the organization's political and financial commitments.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:09) **Coaches on the Hot Seat: Introduction** - The hosts introduce a segment to evaluate NBA coaches whose jobs might be in jeopardy this season, rating their seats as hot, warm, or cold.
2 (04:33) **Kenny Atkinson's Seat: Hot or Cold?** - The panel discusses Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, with Hayes calling his seat hot after playoff failures, while Matt argues his seat is cold due to organizational support and a one-seed finish last year.
3 (07:29) **Nick Nurse: Low Pressure in Philly** - The hosts agree that Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse has a cold-to-warm seat, as the pressure falls more on star Joel Embiid than the coach.
4 (09:35) **Doug Christie and the Kings' Void** - The discussion turns to Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie, with Hayes calling his seat scorching hot and Matt humorously describing the Kings as operating in an alternate dimension without heat.
5 (10:38) **J.B. Bickerstaff: A Dark Horse Candidate** - Matt throws out Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff as an additional name, questioning if his seat will get hot if the Cavs fail to become a lethal playoff team again.
6 (13:40) **Breaking News: Matherin to the Pelicans** - The hosts react to the signing of Benedict Matherin by the New Orleans Pelicans on a two-year, $16 million deal, calling it a low-risk move.
7 (16:22) **Rotation Lab: Sacramento Kings** - The hosts break down the Kings’ opening night rotation, starting with a weak starting five and a bench with some intriguing young players.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

West Goldberg Matt Moore

Show Notes

Which NBA coaches enter the 2026-27 season on the hot seat? Wes Goldberg, Matt Moore and Haize play Hot, Warm or Cold with Ime Udoka, Kenny Atkinson, Nick Nurse and Doug Christie. How much pressure is Udoka facing to turn Houston's talent into playoff success, and which coach could be the first fired?

Then it’s a double edition of The Rotation Lab. The guys attempt to make sense of a Sacramento Kings roster that lost DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook and debate whether Sacramento could actually be the worst team in the NBA. Finally, they break down the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs. Did the addition of Tobias Harris quietly solve one of their biggest problems? And could Dylan Harper force his way into the starting lineup alongside Victor Wembanyama?

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