The Brooklyn Nets have a new head coach, and it’s hard to imagine the team making a more surprising hire. Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the Nets would make Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash a head coach for the first time, which was soon confirmed by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Nets have hired Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash as their new head coach, @NYTSports has learned
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 3, 2020
Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash has signed a four-year contract to become the next coach of the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 3, 2020
Wojnarowski included the details that Jacque Vaughn, who coached the team admirably during the NBA’s Orlando Bubble, would stay on as an assistant at a hefty price tag, while the Nets’ brain trust did what it could to convince Nash to make the leap to coaching over the last few weeks.
Jacque Vaughn will stay as the lead assistant and become the league’s best compensated assistant coach, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/t24W26mwwp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 3, 2020
In recent weeks, Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks have been aggressive in recruiting Nash to make the leap that he had so far resisted in his retirement: head coaching.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 3, 2020
And shortly after reports began circulating, Brooklyn made the news official.
The Nets have named Steve Nash head coach. pic.twitter.com/hpOrVHp1Fm
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) September 3, 2020
While Nash has some experience in basketball operations, having served as a consultant for the Golden State Warriors team when, as Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports pointed out, Durant was in town, this is quite the leap. He’s going from that, along with a handful of off-court duties like serving as a basketball/soccer analyst for Turner, to the head coach of a team that has legitimate NBA title aspirations once Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are 100 percent healthy. Keeping Vaughn around should help ease that transition, as he knows this team, but the former two-time MVP will be at the helm in what might be the most out of left field head coaching hire we’ve seen in some time.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/brooklyn-nets-hire-steve-nash-head-coach-details/