The intriguing part of the Kevin Durant, Nets unhappiness report is all about Celtics coach Ime Udoka
The Brooklyn Nets are in a lose-lose situation with Kevin Durant.
If they choose to appease Durant and remove both Nash and Marks from their positions, it could be hard to find someone else who would be at all willing to backfill those positions knowing that job security is fickle at best.
But if they decide to trade KD before his contract extension even begins, with four years remaining on the books, does that mean Brooklyn decided to punt on a two-time NBA Finals MVP in favor of Steve Nash? If so, what has Nash accomplished as a coach to make that the right move?
Here is what Shams Charania said about the latest update:
“In a face-to-face meeting with Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai over the weekend, All-NBA star Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that he needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash, sources tell The Athletic.”
Charania continued his report, which included an interesting nugget:
“The Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat remain the most significant candidates to acquire Durant, sources said, with Boston’s package centering around All-Star forward Jaylen Brown seen as a viable deal … Durant has grown close with Boston coach Ime Udoka in recent years after Udoka spent a year with Durant as an assistant in Brooklyn and later with Team USA for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”
He characterizes the Celtics as one of the “most significant candidates” to land Durant. He then describes “Boston’s package” as a “viable deal” if they include Jaylen Brown.
It reads like Durant may be pushing for a trade to Boston — and I get why.
The Celtics just swept Durant’s Nets out of the playoffs and went on to win the Eastern Conference. They have a superstar he could play alongside in Jayson Tatum, who recently said he is “one of the best players in the world” even though he is only 24 years old.
They also have great role players like Grant Williams who are hungry to continue the recent successes. Their front office is strong and we have seen Brad Stevens make huge moves to land Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, and Danillo Gallinari.
However, Charania’s most interesting tidbit is that KD has “grown close” with Celtics coach Ime Udoka. Why is that interesting?
The Nets could have easily hired Udoka as their head coach in 2020! His name emerged as a candidate for the job. They also considered hiring him before deciding on Kenny Atkinson in 2016.
Udoka may have had more coaching qualifications. But the organization may have decided on Nash due to Durant and Irving’s wishes. Durant supported Nash, and the two had a bond from their time together in Golden State.
Here is more from Woj at the time of the hire a couple years ago (via ESPN):
“When asked what Durant and Kyrie Irving suggested that they wanted in a coach, Marks told ESPN: ‘They wanted a great communicator. They wanted someone they would respect. … A lot of this relationship will be built off the court. A lot of what I know of Steve is as the ultimate communicator. That’s what the guys asked for … a communicator … and that’s what they got.'”
Meanwhile, Udoka was brought on Nash’s staff for one season in 2020-21.
However, he had a wildly successful debut campaign as a head coach in the NBA with the Celtics. Especially on the defensive end of the floor, Boston was one of the best teams in basketball for the second half of the season and the playoffs.
The tea leaves suggest that KD wants to play for Ime Udoka, which could have happened in Brooklyn if they had hired him outright in 2016, 2020, or before he left for the Celtics in 2021. Instead, now KD’s potential desire to leave and play for Udoka in Boston may force the Nets to rebuild their entire roster once more.