Jacque Vaughn Named Nets HC amid Ime Udoka Buzz After Steve Nash's Exit
Jacque Vaughn is the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn announced on Wednesday that Vaughn, who was acting as interim head coach, will remain at the helm for the rest of the season.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Vaughn's promotion comes with a contract throug the 2023-24 season.
The position became open after the Nets announced they parted ways with Steve Nash on Nov. 1. Vaughn was named the acting head coach for the game against the Chicago Bulls that day, but it didn't take long for other names to appear as potential replacement candidates.
As for Nash, he thanked the team for an "amazing experience" in a statement after he was let go:
Nash went 94-67 as the head coach, losing in the second round of the playoffs in his first season and the first round in his second.
That second season didn't go anywhere near according to plan, as Kyrie Irving missed significant time because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, Kevin Durant dealt with injury concerns, and James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Ben Simmons came over in the Harden deal but didn't play last season.
Shams Charania of The Athletic then reported in August that Durant met with Nets governor Joe Tsai and gave him an ultimatum to either fire Nash and general manager Sean Marks or trade him.
The 34-year-old ultimately stayed, but it was quite the tone heading into a new campaign.
After Nash was fired, Charania reported Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics was a "strong front-runner" for the position. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski noted the team was also expected to explore hiring former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder.
Yet general manager Sean Marks told reporters at the time the team hadn't decided on its next head coach.
The Nets ultimately decided to stick with Vaughn, who is now in charge of leading a team that has the talent to potentially compete for a championship but is yet to come together and reach its ceiling.
Durant and Irving are quite the one-two punch on the offensive side, Simmons is a two-time All-Defensive selection, and the list of role players includes sharp-shooters Seth Curry and Joe Harris.
Whether Vaughn can figure out a way to mold that talent into a championship contender will shape the overall outlook of the Eastern Conference ahead of the playoffs.
The Nets (4-7) are 2-2 so far under Vaughn. Keeping him in the fold provides the team with some stability as it tries to get back on track this season.
