Mike Budenholzer, Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez and Suns assistant Kevin Younger are finalists for the Nets‘ head-coaching job, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Nets, who parted ways with Jacque Vaughn in February and changed him with interim head coach Kevin Ollie, opted to not await the tip of the season to start their head-coaching search. NetsDaily reported earlier that Brooklyn’s search course of has been ongoing for greater than a month and is believed to have been “in depth,” which Charania confirms.
In line with Charania, Ollie acquired consideration for the everlasting job, as did a number of different outdoors candidates, together with Warmth assistant Chris Quinn and Pelicans assistant James Borrego.
Nonetheless, the franchise seems to have zeroed in on Budenholzer, Fernandez and Younger as its finalists. Sources inform The Athletic that crew proprietor Joe Tsai will maintain in-person conferences with all three candidates, with a remaining determination to be made someday within the not-too-distant future.
A two-time Coach of the Yr, Budenholzer compiled a 484-317 (.604) regular-season file throughout 10 seasons as an NBA head coach from 2013-23 — 5 in Atlanta and 5 in Milwaukee. He additionally owns a 56-48 (.538) total postseason file and received a championship with the Bucks in 2021. Budenholzer was an assistant in San Antonio when Nets common supervisor Sean Marks joined the Spurs entrance workplace in 2012.
Fernandez, who technically holds the title of affiliate head coach on Mike Brown‘s workers in Sacramento, served as an assistant in Denver from 2016-22 earlier than making the transfer to the Kings. He has lengthy been thought-about a future NBA head coach and led the Canadian nationwide crew to a bronze medal on the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He’ll coach the Canadians at this summer season’s Olympics in Paris.
Younger is one other veteran assistant who has been promoted to affiliate head coach and has acquired NBA head teaching consideration lately. He reportedly interviewed with the Rockets, Bucks, Raptors and Suns a 12 months in the past. Younger was an assistant with the Sixers from 2016-20 earlier than spending the final 4 seasons in Phoenix.
The Nets are certainly one of three groups available in the market for a everlasting head coach, together with the Hornets and Wizards.
