SH Blog: McGrady expresses regret for leaving Raptors; Ibaka expects Martin to leave; Magic trading pick?

While the coaching carrousel continues, the Philadelphia 76ers will likely wait until after the NBA draft to announce their next head coach.  According to John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sixers GM Sam Hinkie believes that the coach is “secondary” to the team’s search for a good player with the 11th pick in the draft. Mitchell’s sources also told him that Hinkie is searching for a “younger coach” who could grow with the young team. This specification will probably eliminate reigning coach of the year, George Karl, from the 76ers wish list.

With the news that Kevin Durant has hired Roc Nation Sports to represent him, NBA executives are publicly wondering whether Jay-Z’s agency will motivate Durant to play in a bigger market when he becomes a free agent in 2016. The Knicks, Nets, and Lakers should all have enough cap space to sign Durant in 2016 if they were to prepare for him testing the market.

Durant had been with Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports, the same agent who represents Kobe Bryant and James Harden.

“KD doesn’t want a traditional NBA agent anymore,” a league source with knowledge of his thinking told Yahoo! Sports on Friday night. “He wants Jay-Z to handle his branding. He had a chance to be with his idol and couldn’t say no.” 

• Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh is unsure about Larry Bird’s possible return to the team. Mark Montieth of Pacers.com reports that Walsh and Bird spoke about the situation prior to the postseason and haven’t discussed Bird’s status since. “I told him he should come back, but he didn’t really give me an answer, so I said that’s the last time I was going to ask,” Walsh said. “And it was.” Larry Bird is currently being pursued by the Kings’ new ownership group to lead a rebuilding job in Sacramento. Walsh, however, does not advise Bird to take the job, “It won’t be fun. It’s not fun. And you’re going to lose (for a while).”