Nets Rumors

2024 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker

April 27th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With another regular season in the books, multiple teams around the NBA are making head coaching changes in advance of the 2024/25 campaign.

In the space below, we’ll provide regular updates on the head coaching searches for each club that has yet to give anyone the permanent title. Some of these searches could extend well into the offseason, so be sure to check back often for the latest updates.

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Updated 4-27-24 (4:00pm CT)

Active Searches

Charlotte Hornets

Previous coach:
- Steve Clifford (transitioning to front office position)
Reportedly interviewed (or will interview):
- Nuggets assistant David Adelman (story)
- Kings’ G League head coach Lindsey Harding (story)
- Rockets assistant Royal Ivey (story)
- Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga (story)
- Celtics assistant Charles Lee (story)
- Lakers assistant Jordan Ott (story)
- ESPN analyst JJ Redick (story)
- Former Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse (story)
Also reportedly receiving consideration:
- Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
- Jazz assistant Lamar Skeeter (story)
No longer under consideration:
- King assistant Jordi Fernandez (interviewed; hired by Nets)
- Suns assistant Kevin Young (interviewed; hired by BYU)

The Hornets were able to get a head start on their head coaching search when Clifford announced during the first week of April that he would be stepping down from his role at season’s end. The team has changed ownership and revamped its front office since Clifford was hired in 2022, so this will be new management’s first opportunity to hire a head coach.

It has been a patient, thorough process so far, with the Hornets thinking outside the box by interviewing candidates like Harding and Redick. While one report suggested Redick is considered a “serious” candidate for the job, it has been Lee who has been mentioned most frequently as a possible frontrunner.

Charlotte, which is building around young players like LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, is seeking a first-time head coach who specializes in player development to lead its young squad. A mid-April report suggested a decision could be made by the end of the month.

Washington Wizards

Previous coach:
- Brian Keefe (interim)

An April 19 report indicated that the Wizards’ head coaching search was getting underway, but it has been awfully quiet on that front so far, with little indication as to which candidates the team is eyeing or interviewing.

What do we know? Well, like the Hornets, the rebuilding Wizards will be focused on hiring a player development specialist. And like in Charlotte, this will be the first head coach hired by Washington’s current front office (president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins), so the expectation is they’ll take their time to get it right.

For what it’s worth, multiple reports have stated that Keefe will receive consideration for the permanent job after taking over for Wes Unseld Jr. in January, but it would be somewhat surprising if Winger’s and Dawkins’ first head coaching search ultimately circled back to the assistant who was promoted midway through the season — especially since Keefe’s record (8-31) was only marginally better than the one Unseld posted in the first half (7-36).

Completed Searches

Brooklyn Nets

New coach:
- Jordi Fernandez (story)
Previous coach:
- Kevin Ollie (interim)
Other finalists:
- Former NBA head coach Mike Budenholzer (story)
- Suns assistant Kevin Young (story)
Also reportedly considered:
- Former NBA head coach James Borrego (story)
- Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant (story)
- Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie (story)
- Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)

After parting ways with former head coach Jacque Vaughn in February, the Nets launched their head coaching search well before the regular season ended, though they did so in relative secrecy. While they reportedly cast a wide net, considering – and interviewing – many candidates, there were few leaks until word broke on April 13 that it was down to Fernandez, Budenholzer, and Young.

With Budenholzer’s contract demands said to be quite high in terms of both years and dollars, the Nets turned to a first-time NBA head coach, picking Fernandez over Young. While Fernandez has never led an NBA team, he’s not entirely without head coaching experience — he coached the Canton Charge in the G League from 2014-16 and is the current leader of the Canadian national team, which won bronze at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Nets general manager Sean Marks has gone through several head coaches during his tenure in Brooklyn, but this was his most exhaustive search process since he hired Kenny Atkinson back in 2016. Atkinson took over a rebuilding club and got them back to the postseason in his third season. With more foundational pieces in place this time around, the Nets are hoping Fernandez can turn things around even faster.

Nets Hiring Juwan Howard As Assistant Coach

April 26th, 2024 at 5:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets are hiring Juwan Howard as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Howard, 51, was fired last month after spending five seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, Michigan.

The fifth overall pick of the 1994 draft, Howard played 19 seasons in the NBA, making All-Star and All-NBA teams in 1995/96 and winning a pair of championships as a bit role player with Miami at the very end of his career.

After his playing days ended, Howard immediately transitioned to coaching. He was an NBA assistant for six seasons with the Heat before becoming the Wolverines’ head coach in 2019.

Howard was reportedly the Lakers’ top coaching target in 2022, when they ultimately hired Darvin Ham. Howard, who played college ball with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, declined those overtures to stay with Michigan.

Howard is the second assistant coach the Nets are bringing on under new head coach Jordi Fernandez. As Wojnarowski previously reported, former Portland assistant Steve Hetzel, who has a preexisting relationship with Fernandez, is also joining Brooklyn’s staff.

Nets Notes: Fernandez, Marks, Simmons, Whitehead, B. Johnson

April 24th, 2024 at 10:52pm CST by Rory Maher

At his introductory press conference on Wednesday, new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez was optimistic about a quick turnaround following a disappointing 2023/24 season, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

“We will see results right away,” Fernandez said. “This industry is about getting results and getting better. So how much are you gonna get better? It’s how we believe the process is important.

“We know that there’s proper steps to take and we’ll see improvement right away. But the most important thing to me is to believe in team success over personal success.”

Fernandez added that he was enthusiastic about the young talent on Brooklyn’s roster, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

“The youth excites me,” Fernandez said. “When you have a young roster — and talented — that means you’re going to have those guys for a long time. So you can develop them, and then they can perform at their best, and they’re here with you. So that’s extremely exciting.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

General manager Sean Marks said one of the reasons Fernandez stood out in the Nets’ head coaching search was his ability to coach players at various stages of their careers, according to Lewis. “Something that separates Jordi from a lot of the candidates (is), we found that he could look at a developmental roster, he could do various different pathways,” Marks said. “He’s coached stars before, he’s been the head director of development before so he’s worn many hats and there’s no roster that he’s not going to be able to get the respect of those guys.” Marks noted that as a big market, Brooklyn has an inherent ability to attract stars, which could accelerate the team’s timeline.
Marks said the team expects Ben Simmons to be ready for training camp in the fall, as Adam Zagoria of NJ.com relays (subscription required). “There should be no reason not to,” Marks said. “I mean, the doctors and therapists and so forth have told us that he should be ready to go next season. Again, it’s going to be on Ben’s timeline. We’re going to have to see how he progresses through the summer.” Simmons was limited to 15 games in ’23/24 and underwent his second back surgery in two years last month.
Another injured Net, Dariq Whitehead, should be ready to go for Summer League in a few months, Marks told reporters, including Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com. The 2023 first-round pick had season-ending surgery for a stress reaction in his left shin back in January.
They don’t currently control a draft pick in 2024, but Marks said the Nets could look to move into the draft if a player they like is available, Kaplan writes. Marks also suggested BJ Johnson, who is the team’s director of player evaluation, could be in line for a promotion after former front office executives Jeff Peterson and Ryan Gisriel left to join the Hornets. “I think some of our guys have done a terrific job,” Marks said, per Kaplan. “In terms of just simply drafting, I mean, you want to take BJ Johnson. BJ runs our draft and has done so for the last several years. So, there’ll be more pressure and more responsibility placed on several of the guys in-house here.”

Nets’ Fernandez, Marks Call Re-Signing Claxton Top Offseason Priority

April 24th, 2024 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday at his introductory press conference as the Nets‘ head coach, Jordi Fernandez referred to re-signing free agent center Nic Claxton as a “priority” for the team this offseason, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. General manager Sean Marks went a step further, calling a new deal for Claxton the Nets’ “number one” priority.

“We hope he’s a Net for a very long time,” Marks said. “We hope we can continue to build around him and build with him and so forth.”

Claxton signed a two-year deal with Brooklyn in 2022 that paid him less than $10MM annually. He’s ineligible for an extension due to the short-term nature of that contract, so he’ll reach free agency this July. He’ll be unrestricted since he has five years of NBA service under his belt.

Claxton figures to be in line for a major raise after emerging as Brooklyn’s starting center over the past two seasons. During that time, he has averaged 12.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 29.8 minutes per game across 147 starts. The 25-year-old was ninth in Defensive Player of the Year voting a year ago and Fernandez believes he’s capable of finishing much higher than that.

“I believe he’ll be Defensive Player of the Year,” Fernandez said. “For us, he’s a priority in this summer, and the way we can play through him — obviously he’s great in pick-and-roll, he’s quick to the rim, he puts pressure on the rim — but also his ability to play the dribble-handoff game which, as you guys know, lately in the NBA is a style that is very efficient. … So he fits perfectly what we want to do moving forward.”

Marks was also effusive in his praise for the young big man.

“I think he’s scratched the surface on who he could end up being one day,” the Nets’ GM said. “I love the challenge of him being Defensive Player of the Year. Nic and I have talked in the offseasons about similar accolades, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player, All-Defensive team and so forth. So, I think he has the skill set, he has the mind to be able to put himself in those positions if he continues to work and continue to develop.”

Although his previous contract only covered two seasons, Claxton was with the Nets for three years before that, so the team will have his full Bird rights. That gives the front office the ability to go over the cap, all the way up to the maximum salary, to re-sign him. While a max deal is probably unlikely, Claxton is considered a good bet to command at least $20MM per year on the open market and the Nets figure to face competition from rival suitors.

Brian Lewis of The New York Post recently suggested that the odds are better than 50/50 that Claxton will re-sign with Brooklyn, noting that the team has been preparing for the possibility of giving him a substantial raise.

And-Ones: Postseason Awards, Fernandez, SLC Summer League, Players’ Poll

April 22nd, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA revealed the finalists for seven postseason awards on Sunday. The league will begin announcing the winners on Tuesday, the NBA’s communications department tweets.

The Most Improved Player award will be announced on Tuesday. Tyrese Maxey, Alperen Sengun and Coby White are the finalists. The Sixth Man of the Year award winner will be revealed on Wednesday, followed by the Clutch Player of the Year (Thursday) and Coach of the Year (Sunday).

We have more from around the basketball world:

The Nets’ hiring of Jordi Fernandez as their head coach won’t affect his status with Team Canada. Fernandez will coach their national team at the Paris Olympics, Canada Basketball tweets.
The Salt Lake City Summer League will take place July 8-10 at the Jazz’s Delta Center, according to a press release. The Jazz, Grizzlies, Thunder and Sixers will once again compete in the round-robin summer showcase, which precedes the Las Vegas Summer League.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Josh Robbins compiled poll results from 142 NBA players on a variety of topics. Nikola Jokic topped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP, while Michael Jordan edged out LeBron James for Greatest Player of All Time. A majority of the players chose James Johnson as the player they’d least like to fight.

Pistons Notes: FA, Trade Targets, Draft, President, More

April 22nd, 2024 at 1:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic said the Pistons will likely explore the viability of pursuing Miles Bridges or Tobias Harris in free agency, though he conceded that could change depending who they hire to be the new president of basketball operations.

While he doesn’t expect Detroit to give anyone a long-term, maximum-salary deal, Edwards suggested a short-term deal with a higher annual salary could be an option if the team pursues Bridges or Harris. Edwards also thinks the Pistons will undergo a “significant roster overhaul” this offseason through a combination of trades and free agent signings, with Malik Monk another impending free agent to potentially keep an eye on.

Scotto said the Nets want to keep Nic Claxton on a long-term contract, and Brian Lewis of The New York Post recently told Scotto he believes there’s better than a 50/50 chance the center will remain with Brooklyn. However, Edwards thinks Claxton would fill a major need for Detroit as a rim protector, even though it might push Jalen Duren to a reserve role.

Edwards previously listed five ideas for the new head of basketball operations, and Scotto believes Bucks GM Jon Horst, a Michigan native, is the main name to keep an eye on.

As for the futures of GM Troy Weaver and head coach Monty Williams, Edwards said he wouldn’t be surprised if neither is back next season, particularly Weaver. Despite being on a lucrative long-term deal, Edwards placed the odds at 60/40 that Williams would not be Detroit’s head coach in 2024/25.

Here’s more on the Pistons:

Edwards of The Athletic predicts that, of the veteran free agents Detroit has this offseason, only Simone Fontecchio will be retained. Edwards is convinced of that happening, putting the odds at 100%. He also thinks Fontecchio will receive a four-year deal worth in the range of $56-68MM as a restricted free agent. The Italian forward has said he expects to be back next season.
In a mailbag for The Detroit Free Press (subscription required), Omari Sankofa II discusses the Pistons’ basketball operations hierarchy, among other topics. The objective of hiring a president of basketball operations, according to Sankofa’s sources, is to “unify a front office that has clearly hit a significant stump, to say the least, in its ongoing remake of the team.” That person would have full autonomy over who gets hired and fired, Sankofa adds.
If the Pistons decide to keep their first-round pick, who should they target? If it lands No. 1 overall, Edwards of The Athletic would select French big man Alexandre Sarr, who played for the Perth Wildcats of the NBL this season. However, if it were up to him, Edwards says he’d trade the pick. After finishing with the worst record in the NBA for the second straight season, Detroit has a 14% chance of landing the top selection and can do no worse than No. 5 overall.

Atlantic Notes: Hetzel, Nets, Maxey, Thibodeau, Celtics

April 22nd, 2024 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets are hiring veteran assistant coach Steve Hetzel to be part of Jordi Fernandez‘s new staff in Brooklyn, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Hetzel was an assistant coach in Portland for the past three seasons under Chauncey Billups. Prior to his stint with the Blazers, he worked on Steve Clifford‘s staffs in both Charlotte (2014-18) and Orlando (2018-21).

Perhaps most notably, Hetzel was the head coach of the Canton Charge in the G League during the 2013/14 season. Fernandez was an assistant on his staff that year before taking over as the Charge’s head coach for the next two seasons after that.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

The Sixers have listed guard Tyrese Maxey as questionable to play in Game 2 on Monday due to an illness that forced him to miss this morning’s shootaround, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In an anonymous player poll conducted by The Athletic, 47% of the respondents named Tom Thibodeau as the head coach they’d least want to play for. However, Thibodeau’s Knicks players were prepared to go to bat for him, as Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. “Nobody’s in our locker room and everybody that talks is on the outside of our locker room. They don’t know what goes on,” Donte DiVincenzo said. “Thibs is a great leader. He’s a great head coach and he’s done an amazing job this year not only dealing with injuries in and out of the lineup but also getting the best out of every single player on our team. I’m having a career year. Different guys on the team are having career years.”
The Celtics have made at least the Eastern Conference Finals in five of the last seven postseason but haven’t won a title during that time. Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston explores how last year’s additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday give the team a new dimension and raise its ceiling entering the 2024 playoffs.
Porzingis passed a key test in Game 1 on Sunday vs. Miami, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com, scoring 18 points and finishing as a +17 in his 34 minutes. Porzingis – who had only played in 10 playoff games, including none since 2021 – lacks the extensive postseason experience of his fellow Celtics starters, but he showed on Sunday that he’s up to the challenge with the stakes raised, says Robb.

Nets Officially Hire Jordi Fernandez As Head Coach

April 22nd, 2024 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have made it official, announcing today in a press release that they’ve named Jordi Fernandez their new head coach. Word officially broke last Monday that Brooklyn had decided to hire Fernandez.

“As we progressed through an extensive search over the past six weeks, it became increasingly clear that Jordi is the best coach to lead our team forward,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Jordi brings a diverse set of experiences and basketball knowledge gained over the course of a coaching career that has taken him around the world.

“Each step of the way, Jordi has consistently demonstrated the ability to implement strong processes and creative systems designed to optimize each team’s specific roster. He’s proven the ability to build genuine relationships and garner the respect of players of all levels, and we’re confident that our players will benefit greatly from his expertise.”

Fernandez has spent the past two seasons as the associate head coach on Mike Brown‘s Kings staff. Prior to arriving in Sacramento, he was an assistant under Michael Malone in Denver from 2016-22, the head coach of the Canton Charge in the G League from 2014-16, a Charge assistant in 2013/14, and a player development coach for the Cavaliers from 2009-13.

Fernandez, who has long been considered a future NBA head coach and interviewed for jobs in Phoenix and Toronto last spring, led the Canadian national team to a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The expectation is that he’ll coach the Canadians again this summer at the Paris Olympics, though it figures to be a busy offseason as he prepares for his new job in Brooklyn.

“I am truly grateful to lead the Nets as head coach and cannot thank (Nets owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai) and Sean enough for this exciting and humbling opportunity,” Fernandez said in a statement. “My family and I are thrilled to join such an incredible organization and become part of the vibrant Brooklyn community. I am eager to get to work with this talented group of players and collectively drive our team forward. Together, we will be fully committed to building something special for Nets fans and the borough to be proud of for years to come.”

The Nets parted ways with former head coach Jacque Vaughn in February, replacing him on an interim basis with Kevin Ollie. While Ollie received some consideration for the permanent job, he wasn’t among the group of reported finalists that also included veteran head coach Mike Budenholzer and Suns assistant Kevin Young.

Following last Monday’s report that the Nets had chosen Fernandez, one report indicated that Budenholzer’s contract demands were “rather high” in terms of both years and dollars. That same report noted that former Hornets head coach James Borrego also received serious consideration from Brooklyn. Young, meanwhile, has since accepted the head coaching job at BYU.

Nets Notes: Claxton, Budenholzer, Borrego, DSJ, Marks

April 19th, 2024 at 11:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto, Brian Lewis of The New York Post said he believes there’s better than a 50/50 chance that Nic Claxton will remain with the Nets, suggesting the team has been preparing for having to give the unrestricted free agent center a significant raise.

“I’d go as far as saying they’ve been fretting over it because they’ve had to carve out the money for this,” Lewis said. “They want him back. … I think they’re reasonably confident that they can, as of today, come to some sort of an agreement.”

As for the Nets’ broader plans going forward, Lewis thinks the team will likely wait until 2025 – when Ben Simmons‘ maximum-salary contract comes off the books – to go “big-game hunting,” though that prediction came with a caveat.

“There are a few players who could accelerate that process,” Lewis said. “Donovan Mitchell is one of those few. … If another superstar becomes disgruntled – like Giannis (Antetokounmpo), if he decides he’s given a lot of great years to Milwaukee and wants to leave – there are a few players who’d make the Nets pivot off of waiting until 2025. The baseline right now is the summer of 2025.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Discussing the search that led to Brooklyn identifying Jordi Fernandez as its next head coach, Lewis said he has heard that Mike Budenholzer‘s contract demands were “rather high” in terms of both years and dollars, while Scotto says James Borrego was another candidate who received legitimate consideration from the Nets alongside their three reported finalists.
Dennis Smith Jr. hopes to secure a multiyear contract in free agency this summer, according to Scotto. Asked if he sees himself returning to the Nets, Smith didn’t rule it out. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind it,” he said. “I’ve got a great relationship with these guys, and the medical and training staff is one of the best I’ve ever seen in the league – and I’ve got a real perspective on that because I’ve been around. I would welcome that.” For what it’s worth, Lewis believes Smith is more likely to land elsewhere than to remain in Brooklyn, particularly if he’s seeking multiple years.
NetsDaily passes along some of the highlights from a Sean Marks Q-and-A session with fans at the HSS Training Center this week. The Nets’ president of basketball operations discussed the team’s roster-building approach in fairly general terms and left the door open to the possibility that the club could trade into this year’s draft.

Latest On Trae Young

April 17th, 2024 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

After averaging 26.4 points in 36.5 minutes per game during his first 51 contests this season, Hawks guard Trae Young scored 15.0 PPG while playing 26.6 MPG in three games last week upon returning from hand surgery. Having gotten a few appearances under his belt down the stretch, Young is hoping to see his usual playing time – and provide his usual production – in Wednesday’s play-in game vs. Chicago, according to Charles Odum of The Associated Press.

“I feel a lot better,” Young told reporters after practicing on Monday. “I’m just trying to make sure I can play at least close to my minutes that I played in the regular season in play-in games.”

Young logged fewer than 21 minutes last Wednesday in his first game back, but bumped that figure to 27 minutes on Friday and nearly 32 in Sunday’s regular season finale. As long as he can handle the increased workload, the Hawks figure to lean heavily on him, since they’ll be missing key rotation players like Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and Saddiq Bey due to injuries. Even on the road, without those teammates available, Young feels good about Atlanta’s chances.

“Obviously you just play the cards you’re dealt,” Young said. “… That’s just my mentality. You know I feel like we can still win with the players we have, so I’m going to go out there and try to do it.”

Here’s more on Young:

Echoing previous reporting, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report says that many sources around the NBA believe Young will be traded this summer, though he cautions that the diminutive, offense-first guard wouldn’t be an ideal fit on some rosters. “It’s difficult to win with a player like Trae,” one Eastern Conference executive said to Pincus. “He needs to be the best player on your team, but he’s not at that top-tier level.”
Pincus runs through a few potential landing spots for Young, considering what trades to the Lakers, Spurs, or Nets might look like. Pincus suggests that it’s tricky to find many other clear fits, though he identifies the Pistons as a possible wild card. Keeping Young and trading Dejounte Murray may ultimately make more sense for Atlanta, Pincus writes, since Murray would be more popular on the trade market due to his less pricey contract and his two-way ability.
Although the Spurs need a long-term answer at point guard and have been linked to Young since February’s trade deadline, Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News advises not betting on a deal that sends Trae to San Antonio. “There are a lot of different ways this can go, and a lot of different stars (the Spurs) might end up targeting, but they’re not going to be the team that meets Atlanta’s price for Trae Young,” Finger writes in a tweet.

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