Clippers Near Hiring of Wilkens : Pro basketball: Terms of contract for the NBA’s second-winningest coach said to be the only obstacle. An announcement is expected next week.

The Clippers want Lenny Wilkens as their coach, and Wilkens has told them he wants to come to L.A. The only obstacle remaining is the finalizing of a contract, sources said Friday.

Wilkens, who resigned Monday after seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, also interviewed this week with Atlanta, but is believed to have indicated to Hawk officials they should start looking elsewhere.

The NBA’s second-winningest coach gave the news to Clipper officials when they called Wilkens in Ohio as a follow-up to a midweek visit to Los Angeles.

Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor would not comment on the search for Larry Brown’s replacement except to say that Wilkens’ interview on Wednesday and Thursday morning went well.

Wilkens has been the Clippers’ top choice all along, and was the only candidate to get an interview. Del Harris and Mike Fratello remained in the background, and Fratello, a finalist on two previous Clipper openings, has yet to even be contacted.

Any snags in contract negotiations would be a surprise. Wilkens was one of the league’s highest-paid coaches while with Cleveland at about $700,000 per season, but the Clippers were paying Brown $750,000.

Talks of this nature usually last several days--Brown’s took five when he was the only candidate--so no announcement is expected until next week.

The sides might even take the three-day weekend off as a mini-holiday, but the Clippers don’t seem overly concerned Wilkens will change his mind or be lured by another team, an indication of their confidence his interest in the job is mutual.

Reports from Atlanta are that the Hawks continue to make offers to Wilkens and his Georgia-based agent, Lonnie Cooper. The Hawks have already been spurned by several others, including Rick Pitino, Doug Collins and Nolan Richardson.

The Cavaliers’ next step in finding a successor for Wilkens is also coming into focus. Brian Winters, a longtime assistant, asked to be considered, but was told no because they wanted someone with experience as a head coach.

One report is that Cleveland has targeted Rick Majerus from the University of Utah.

A side benefit if Wilkens does end up with the Clippers is his very positive relationship with Ron Harper from their three-plus seasons together in Cleveland.

Harper can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if his $4-million option is not picked up by June 15, but the Clippers are still hoping to sign him to a long-term deal instead of the huge lump sum.

Wilkens might provide extra incentive for Harper to stick around for a while.