Following the parting of ways by the Brooklyn Nets and their head coach, Steve Nash; his Assistant, Jacque Vaughn will take over in an interim capacity, but the NBA franchise is reportedly planning to hire suspended Boston Celtics head coach, Ime Udoka to take over full time.
Various outlets reported on Monday that the Celtics are already engaged in discussions with Udoka and are planning to hire him off, to the Nets.
ESPN reports that a deal is expected within the next 24 hours; but the Celtics will first have to let Udoka, a Nigerian-American professional basketball coach and former player of the D’Tigers, out of his contract, to make him eligible to take another job.
Nets General Manager Sean Marks told reporters earlier today that the team “absolutely” hasn’t settled on Udoka or anyone else as head coach. But Sports Illustrated reported that the Nets and Udoka were already finalizing a deal.
Pundits believe that, if Udoka becomes the next Nets coach, he will bring his own set of baggage into an already tumultuous situation.
His first season in Boston was a success as he coached the Celtics to the NBA Finals. But the Celtics suspended him for the 2022-23 season for reportedly having “an improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff.”
The official Celtics stance is that he violated the team’s code of conduct. But he’s not suspended by the NBA and would presumably be eligible to coach this season for another team.
Meanwhile, the Nets are in the third year of their roster construction centered around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who were expected to anchor a championship contender.
So far the Nets have a single playoff series win to show for it and look little like a playoff team this season amid a start of 2 wins and 5 losses, in the NBA regular season.
