2:52 PM ET
Adrian WojnarowskiSenior NBA Insider
- Host of The Woj Pod
- Joined ESPN successful 2017
The Brooklyn Nets are finalizing a woody to prosecute suspended Boston Celtics manager Ime Udoka, and a ceremonial statement is expected to beryllium reached arsenic soon arsenic Wednesday, sources told ESPN.
After parting with manager Steve Nash, the Nets are bringing backmost Udoka to effort and salvage a reeling franchise amid turmoil and a 2-5 commencement to the season.
Boston is not requiring draught compensation from Brooklyn to prosecute Udoka, but determination are discussions that are taking spot earlier a woody tin beryllium finalized, sources said.
The Nets, who person mislaid 5 of 7 games to commencement the season, volition support adjunct Jacque Vaughn arsenic the acting caput manager until Udoka tin commencement the job.
Boston suspended Udoka for the 2022-23 play for an improper narration with a subordinate earlier grooming camp, but sources accidental the Celtics ne'er planned to basal successful the mode of Udoka accepting different coaching job.
Udoka was an adjunct for 1 play nether Nash successful 2020-21 earlier becoming the Celtics' manager and starring them to the NBA Finals past season. Udoka has a agelong past with Nets wide manager Sean Marks, dating backmost to them moving unneurotic with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Nets person been vetting the circumstances astir Udoka's suspension and judge helium tin tighten up the league's 29th-ranked antiaircraft squad and bid enactment successful a hard locker room, sources said. Udoka spent a play with Ben Simmons -- a subordinate the Nets are desperately trying to get connected way -- connected the Philadelphia 76ers' coaching unit successful 2019-20.
The autarkic instrumentality steadfast probe into Udoka recovered that helium utilized crude connection successful his dialog with a pistillate subordinate earlier the commencement of an improper workplace narration with the woman, an constituent that importantly factored into the severity of his suspension, sources told ESPN successful September.
Those investigative findings -- which described verbiage connected Udoka's portion that was deemed particularly concerning coming from a workplace superior -- contributed to what was an improbable pathway to his reinstatement arsenic Celtics manager successful 2023, sources said.
The powerfulness dynamic associated with a superior's improper narration with a unit subordinate was the superior uncovering and argumentation usurpation cited successful the instrumentality firm's report, which was commissioned by the Celtics and completed successful September, sources said.