After Firing Steve Nash, Nets Plan to Hire Ime Udoka as Head Coach

Boston didn't promote Joe Mazzulla to have him keep the seat warm for a year, but even if he doesn't earn a second season as head coach, bringing Udoka back was highly unlikely.

After the Celtics swept the Nets in the first round of the playoffs, Brooklyn nearly underwent wholesale changes this summer.

The Nets were unwilling to commit to Kyrie Irving beyond this season. If they could've found a better offer than having to absorb Russell Westbrook's $47 million contract to obtain a first-round pick from the Lakers in 2027, perhaps he would've already played his last game with Brooklyn.

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While the Nets' sky-high asking price to part with Kevin Durant suggests they had limited interest in trading him, they also had to deal with their franchise centerpiece asking owner Joe Tsai to fire head coach Steve Nash and general manager, Sean Marks.

Brooklyn hoped running it back while integrating Ben Simmons into the fold, adding T.J. Warren and Royce O'Neale, and getting Joe Harris, who played only 14 games last season due to injury, would result in living up to their potential. But the start of the 2022-23 campaign's been a disaster on and off the court.

At 2-5, the Nets have the fifth-worst winning percentage in the NBA. In their first game of the season, at home, they were lifeless in a 130-108 loss to the Pelicans. They have the second-worst defensive rating in the league, and Brooklyn lost four-straight games before beating the Pacers Monday night.

Irving promoting anti-Semitic propaganda created yet another headache for the franchise.

Now, the Nets and Nash have parted ways.

The Nets fired Steve Nash, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 1, 2022

That decision felt inevitable. With Nash out, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports Brooklyn plans to hire Ime Udoka as the franchise's next head coach. Brooklyn's interest in Udoka has been a poorly kept secret.

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Udoka came to Boston after working with Durant and Irving as a Nets assistant coach. He also spent time with Ben Simmons while the former was on Doc Rivers' staff in Philadelphia.

The Celtics suspended Udoka for the 2022-23 season for violations of team policy, something owner Wyc Grousbeck stated was "well warranted and appropriate" while addressing the matter at a late-September press conference. 

While the Celtics could've demanded compensation, they're letting Udoka out of his contract, allowing him to go freely to Brooklyn.

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And while Boston didn't promote Joe Mazzulla to have him keep the seat warm for a year, even if he doesn't earn a second season as head coach, bringing Udoka back was highly unlikely.

When the offseason arrives, it will also be interesting to monitor what happens with a Celtics' coaching staff almost entirely brought in by Udoka.

Mazzulla's spent his entire NBA coaching career with the Celtics. Before that, he was with their G League team in Maine and was the head coach of Fairmont State. Shortly ahead of the start of the season, Jay Larranaga elected to stay with the Clippers rather than return to Boston, where he was an assistant for nine years.

It's unclear where Mazzulla would turn to fill departures from the Celtics' coaching staff. Hires might have more to do with the relationships Brad Stevens has built.

Further Reading

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