If you watched the Portland Trail Blazers in action last night, you might’ve noticed something different on the sidelines. Yes, the Blazers were not being led by their long-time head coach, Chauncey Billups. Instead, it was the veteran’s assistant, Tiago Splitter, who guided Portland to a comfortable 139-119 victory over the Warriors in their second game of the season. Of course, Splitter’s appointment came as a result of Billups’ federal indictment. But the question is, has he bid his final goodbye to the franchise?

It’s a tricky situation. Since Thursday, the Trail Blazers’ coach has been charged in an alleged mafia-linked poker scheme. The scheme reportedly swindled millions from victims using high-tech cheating, according to U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. Given the seriousness of these charges, many believe this could be the end of the road for the 49-year-old coach. So, does that mean the Trail Blazers already cut ties with their head coach? Not really.

However, the Blazers did release a statement acknowledging the situation. “We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation. Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim,” the franchise’s statement read on X.

The Trail Blazers, however, want to distance themselves from the coach and the allegations at the moment, as the press release further added, “Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.” Even ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed that Tiago Splitter has been chosen as the interim head coach until this investigation around Billups is cleared. So, if things go south from here on, it is a done deal for Billups here at Portland.

While his investigation doesn’t accuse Chauncey Billups of the alleged crimes, if found guilty, it’s safe to say that his future as a head coach of not just the Portland Trail Blazers, but at any level, might be in serious trouble. So, how will the NBA franchise navigate through that?

What’s next for the Trail Blazers amid Chauncey Billups’ federal indictment?

It’s been just around 48 hours since the Portland Trail Blazers underwent one of the most shocking off-court events in NBA history. But now, as the nerves settle in a bit, not just the Portland faithful but everyone wants to know what’s next. Even though the franchise has put Chauncey Billups on leave for an indefinite time and appointed his assistant as the interim head coach, that’s not the long-term solution. Nonetheless, there are a few ways this could go.

Firstly, the 49-year-old will go through the complete legal process. Now, he could push the trial to its conclusion and be found guilty and non-guilty. Or Chauncey might also plead bargain to modified charges and accept less threatening penalties, and perhaps even avoid jail time altogether. But…

There’s also a possibility that the Trail Blazers coach could cooperate with authorities, providing evidence in the “Conspirator 8” case. By assisting the prosecution of others, he might secure lighter penalties for himself. Still, unless Billups is completely cleared of all charges, a return to the league seems highly unlikely. While it’s the Trail Blazers who have put him on leave at the moment, it will be the league that will make any decision on his return and not the franchise.

And if any of these allegations are true, it’s safe to assume that the NBA won’t be welcoming him back on the sidelines. To put it simply, Portland can now do nothing about its head coach’s return, even if it wanted to. Nonetheless, this will be something worth keeping an eye on in the meantime.