Sixers interview Blazers aide Vanterpool

David Vanterpool appears to be a serious candidate for the 76ers coaching job.

The Sixers interviewed the 40-year-old Portland Trail Blazers assistant for the job on Monday, according to Yahoo Sports. Doug Collins stepped down as the Sixers' coach on April 18.

San Antonio Spurs assistant Brett Brown; Sixers assistant Michael Curry, a holdover from Collins' staff; and Boston Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga are believed to be the other serious contenders.

The Sixers will not comment on the search for a coach.

Portland hired Vanterpool last summer after he spent two seasons as a scout with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The native of Daytona Beach, Fla., coached Portland's NBA summer-league team in Las Vegas. Vanterpool is credited with the development of Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, the NBA rookie of the year.

As a player, the undrafted free agent spent one season with the Washington Wizards. He had a successful pro career with stops in Italy, China, Russia, the Continental Basketball Association, and the American Basketball Association.

After retiring as a player with CSKA Moscow in 2007, Vanterpool spent the next three seasons with the team as an assistant coach.

The Sixers have the most salary-cap space in the NBA, and all signs point to their making more trades.

"We will be an attractive trading partner for teams around the league all year - not just for players, but for the cap room that we have," Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie said.

The team is about $16.6 million under the $58.679 million salary cap for this season. It could have as much as $36 million available next summer.

"That kind of flexibility will give us real options," Hinkie added.

Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes, and Evan Turner provide the best trade value in the pursuit of young players and expiring contracts.

The Sixers traded Jrue Holiday, an all-star point guard, and acquired the rights to rookie center Nerlens Noel in a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans on draft night.

They also received the Pelicans' 2014 first-round pick, which is protected from picks one through five, for Holiday and a second-round pick (42d overall) in this year's draft.

The Sixers acquired Royce White, who has an expiring contract, and the rights to Turkish star Furkan Aldemir in a trade with the Houston Rockets for future considerations.

Noel is back on campus at Kentucky this week, helping coach John Calipari with his pro camp for youth players.

Under NBA rules, the Sixers would retain Arsalan Kazemi's rights even if they sent him overseas. The Iranian forward out of Oregon, the 54th overall pick in the draft, will not count against the team's salary cap or luxury tax for the 2013-14 season if he plays overseas.

"He would get a chance to work on his game somewhere else for a year," Hinkie said. "Then [we] would have the opportunity to reassess where he is later.

"I think that's an attractive opportunity for someone like him."