League sources — granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the coaching search — also say former NBA coach Michael Malone was contacted before he took the University of North Carolina job, as well as former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who is no longer a candidate. And before he took control of the Blazers, Dundon spoke to former Toronto executive Masai Ujiri. “This isn’t Russian hockey players who don’t speak English,” a league source said. “In the NBA, everyone talks to everyone else. He says he didn’t make job offers … but it’s the narrative that is circulating … and it’s wrong. It’s bad business.”

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Blazers approached Tom Thibodeau, Michael Malone about head coaching job