The Brooklyn Nets plan to hire suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka as their next head coach after parting ways with Steve Nash Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who also reported Udoka had emerged as the "likely candidate" to replace Nash, said the hiring could be finalized in the next 24 to 28 hours.
Udoka was suspended for a full season by the Celtics prior to the 2022-23 campaign for violating multiple team policies. Both The Athletic and ESPN reported Udoka had an improper consensual relationship with a female staff member. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Celtics will allow Udoka to join another team.
Wojnarowski previously reported an independent law firm found Udoka used crude language with the female team staff member before beginning the improper relationship, contributing to the severity of Udoka's one-year suspension.
Wojnarowski added that Udoka's language was "deemed especially concerning" coming from a head coach toward a subordinate, and contributed to a difficult roadmap for him to return as Celtics head coach once his suspension is over.
The power dynamic between Udoka and the staff member was the "primary finding and policy violation" from the law firm's report, according to Wojnarowski.
Udoka was previously Nash's assistant on the Nets' coaching staff during the 2020-21 season before he was hired by the Celtics.
The 45-year-old took over as Celtics head coach ahead of the 2021-22 campaign and had immediate success, leading the team to the NBA Finals before falling to the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics went 51-31 in Udoka’s first season in charge.
He first started coaching as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 and also has spent some time on the bench with the Philadelphia 76ers.
With Udoka suspended, the Celtics promoted 34-year-old assistant Joe Mazzulla to the head coaching job.
With files from The Associated Press
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