11:53am: Vaughn’s promotion to permanent head coach comes with a deal through the 2023/24 season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
11:15am: The Nets have named Jacque Vaughn as their head coach, the team announced today in an official press release. Vaughn had been the team’s acting head coach since Steve Nash‘s exit from the franchise, so today’s announcement essentially removes the interim tag from his title.
“Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball.”
The news is particularly notable because it signals that Brooklyn isn’t moving forward with its rumored plan to hire Ime Udoka away from the Celtics. Udoka, who is serving a one-year suspension in Boston for sending crude messages and engaging in a relationship with a female subordinate, emerged as the frontrunner to replace Nash last week.
However, the Nets were said to still be going through the vetting process on Udoka and reportedly received push-back from some “strong voices,” including from some of the female staffers within the organization.
It’s unclear if Udoka could still reemerge a candidate for Brooklyn at some point down the road or if the vetting process removed him from the team’s radar entirely — either way, it sounds as if Vaughn will coach the Nets for at least the rest of the 2022/23 season, and potentially beyond that.
A former NBA guard, Vaughn transitioned into coaching following his retirement as a player, initially serving as an assistant on Gregg Popovich‘s staff in San Antonio. He was hired as the Magic’s head coach in 2012, but posted a dismal 58-158 (.269) record during two-and-a-half seasons in that role.
Vaughn was an assistant for the Nets from 2016-22, briefly serving as the team’s interim coach after Kenny Atkinson was let go in 2020. He guided the Nets to a 7-3 record at that time and has led the club to a 2-2 mark since replacing Nash last week.
Naming Vaughn the full-time head coach should smooth out one area of instability in Brooklyn, but there are other issues to resolve. Vaughn will be tasked with trying to help turn things around for Ben Simmons, who has looked like a shadow of his former self since returning from a season-long absence, and the Nets will still have to determine whether to reinstate Kyrie Irving following his suspension.
They coach they need right now is Snyder, but he m not sure he wants to step into what’s currently going on in Brooklyn.
The coach they need right now is Snyder, but I’m not sure he’d want to step into what’s currently going on in Brooklyn.
Fixed it. Hurt my eyes.
Snyder with KD and Simmons hey? Match made in heaven!
Jacque Vaughn is the nice quiet hire that’s not going to make a bunch of noise.
Ime Udoka would’ve brought way too much baggage to a team that got just as much baggage as the Los Angeles Lakers.
I respect the Brooklyn Nets for hiring him but this team is going in the wrong direction.
Sean Marks need to be fired after the season.
Kyrie Irving will not be on this team anymore or after this season. They not going to get nothing for such a special talent lol.
Could’ve had the Lakers 2027 & 2029 First Round Pick but wanted to play hard ball and that plan back fired lol. Sean Marks is a terrible GM.
Ben Simmons is going to be stuck on this roster because ain’t nobody giving up much to get him. I think if Ben Simmons can get back mentally engaged and focus he can become that All Star player and stomp down defensive player again. Jacque Vaughn might be the perfect coach to get that out of him.
Kevin Durant should also get traded this summer to a destination for he can compete for a championship.
So I think he’s the perfect head coach for a soon to be rebuild.
Sean marks is an amazing GM. He took over a team devoid of talent and picks, thanks to an actually terrible GM Billy King trading a monster haul for over the hill Celts. He was very shrewd with his moves and they completed a rebuild with lightning quickness. He had no high picks to work with but still identified talent with later picks. Kenny Atkinson had this underachieving team in the playoffs…then KD and Kyrie happened.
*overachieving
Sean Marks is not an amazing gm that happened years ago which is mainly due to the great scouting team. What has he done since? Sean Marks is a good gm for a rebuilding team but doesn’t know how to build around a contending team. Doesn’t listen to KD but the Nets continue to keep him cause he’s friends with the owner.
So he can’t take credit for good drafts but needs to take blame for not building the team? You don’t make any sense. What makes a good gm if not for acquiring talent and winning? So he made great moves, improved a team, had a lightning fast rebuild that lead to landing two top 10 players, he then uses more assets to acquire harden. He listens to kd, hence deandre Jordan getting $40 million when no one would give him the min and acquiring harden. He didn’t make Kyrie say things or not want to get vaxxed which alienated harden and made him want to leave.
“then KD and Kyrie happened.”
….Which Marks ultimately agreed to.
So while I agree with everything else you said and understand it’s hard to totally blame Marks for not having a crystal ball, I do think he deserves a little bit of blame for putting all of the franchise’s eggs into the basket of the guy who had been a nightmare in all of his previous stops (Kyrie) on top of being increasingly injury prone (Kyrie and KD).
True story
It makes sense to avoid further controversy in the immediate future. I know he had a deal to be one of the highest if not the highest paid assistant coach in the league but I don’t know how long the contract is. I’m guessing there are no extensions right now. The contract may have had an escalator if he were to be named head coach, so I’m guessing this just locks it in for the duration of the contract. It’s possible that his contract length matched Nash’s.
After this season I see both Duke guys Kyrie Irving and Seth Curry leaving them in free agency.
I see Kevin Durant getting traded in the summer for about 3 First Round Picks and a nice young player.
I see Sean Marks being fired a new GM being hired that will get rid of Jacque Vaughn as well and bring in a whole new regime.
Ben Simmons, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris, Nicolas Claxton, and Patty Mills should be around next year.
Nets make stupid, gutless choices. Why even leak that you’re seriously interested in Udoka? What changed I wonder? Lmao, guess I shouldn’t talk too much smack, lots of folks on here thought Ime was a great choice.
Good decision. Nets need to stay away from controversy for another 10 years or so. Not attractive at all for future potential free agent signings.
Finally, the Nets make a good decision. Kind of surprising they didn’t f*** this up royally, too, but hey, good for them.
I like Vaughn but why over Udoka?
Ime Udoka must have done something terrible, even criminal. Wealthy folks will handle this behind closed doors with NDAs, so as to avoid public scrutiny. But getting passed up here suggests Udoka may be done for regardless of his coaching acumen.
Agreed, if the Ime situation was just what the media is reporting there’s no way he’d have been suspended a year.
And Nets would have snapped him up straight away, not have people urging them not to. Something is clearly off with this situation.
Good call by the nets, play it safe and don’t increase the drama that is already worse than a cheap 90s soap opera.
Nets Management continues to pick friends over the most qualified person for the job.
Udoka would’ve been a friend too
I personally think this is the best choice in Brooklyn at least for the present season. Vaughn is a guy who is familiar with these guys and has a rapport with them, he doesn’t have to come in and design a new system on the fly because he’s been with them for a while, and he’s not a PR disaster waiting to happen. In future, I could see the Nets moving on if he does poorly this season, but I think Tsai and Marks see this season as largely a wash anyway.
Nets should have never let Atkinson go. The team was heading in right direction with a proper rebuild.
Never believed Nets were that serious about this. It was a sources said claim to begin with. Sean Marks didn’t say they were doing anything, and Marus Smart looked believably upset, genuinely surprised by it. While the week, or so of this story simmered, Vaughn won the job on the court. His substitutions, and roster usage with all the adversity has been a stark contrast to that of Nash’s. Team has looked better too. Cam Thomas is happy
Smart deal for Nets. They get to call a guy head coach and basically commit nothing financially.