Nets plan to hire Ime Udoka as head coach after firing Steve Nash originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
We have quite the development on the NBA head coach front.
The Brooklyn Nets plan to hire suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka as their new head coach after firing Steve Nash on Tuesday, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports.
Udoka is serving a season-long suspension in Boston for violations of team policies. He's still technically under contract with the Celtics, so it's unclear whether Boston would get compensation from the Nets in return. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Udoka's hiring in Brooklyn could be finalized "as soon as the next 24-to-48 hours."
The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn suggested the Celtics are "pleased" with the work of Joe Mazzulla, who is 3-2 in his first five games as Boston's interim head coach.
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Ime Udoka 2022 timeline
The Celtics were led to the 2022 NBA Finals by coach Ime Udoka. Four months later, he looks to be heading back to Brooklyn to coach Kevin Durant and the Nets after quite a tumultuous turn of events in Boston.
Udoka has a strong connection to Brooklyn; he was an assistant coach on Nash's staff during the 2020-21 season before taking Boston's head coach job in June 2021, so he has worked with Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.