Nets fire head coach Jacque Vaughn

Nets fire head coach Jacque Vaughn

The Brooklyn Nets fired head coach Jacque Vaughn Monday morning, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was among the first to report.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward,” Sean Marks, the team’s general manager, said via release. “Jacque has represented this organization with exemplary character and class for the past eight years. The consistent positivity and passion he poured into our team daily will remain with the players and staff he interacted with throughout his tenure. We thank Jacque for all he has done for the Nets and the borough of Brooklyn, and wish him, Laura and their family nothing but the best in the future.” 

As of this publishing, the Nets have not named an interim replacement. Their first game exiting the All-Star break will be on Thursday, Feb. 22, against the Toronto Raptors–the second game of a five-game road trip.

Vaughn’s dismissal comes nearly a year (to the calendar date) after signing a multi-year extension with the Nets through the 2026-27 season. He previously took over for Steve Nash, who was fired seven games into the 2022-23 season. Vaughn went 43-32 and squeaked into the playoffs as a No. 6 seed despite Marks trading both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving ahead of the deadline.

Vaughn, 49, also took over for Kenny Atkinson after he was relieved of duties, going 7-3 in the bubble before the keys were handed to Nash ahead of the 2020-21 season. He’s been either a head coach or an assistant in Brooklyn for the last nine seasons. 

Though the same success was not translated this season. The Nets began 21-33, 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the fourth-and-final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.

Brooklyn is No. 21 in adjusted NET Rating–No. 19 in adjusted offense and No. 20 in adjusted defense–according to dunksandthrees.com. I was a believer that Brooklyn would be a little more feisty at the bottom of the East this season. Though whether it was due to the lack of complementary pieces on the roster or Vaughn and his staff (or both), that has not been the case.

Vaughn would’ve been the first to see the door–whether you see it as a “scapegoat” or not–before severe roster or front office personnel shifts were made.  

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