Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughn will stay beyond this season.
The Nets announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with Vaughn to a multi-year extension.
Vaughn took over as acting head coach when the Nets and Steve Nash parted ways in November. Over a week later, after some pushback on Brooklyn’s plan to hire Ime Udoka, Vaughn’s interim tag was removed. But he was only given a two-year deal with a team option for next season, creating a window for the Nets to revisit Udoka in the offseason.
This extension has effectively shut down that option for a good reason.
Since taking over, Vaughn coached the Nets to a league-fifth-best 32-19 record, including winning 18 of 20, which ended up being their last good stretch with their former cornerstones, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Under his watch, Brooklyn had their winningest month in franchise history last December, posting a 12-1 record to earn his first Coach of the Month award.
“Jacque has made an immediate and immeasurable impact on our entire organization since assuming the role of head coach earlier this season,” Nets GM Sean Marks said in a statement. “On the court, he’s clearly demonstrated his leadership through his ability to connect and communicate at a very high level while displaying tremendous instincts for the game. As a person, they don’t come any better than Jacque. His character is impeccable, and there is not a better representative for our team and our borough. We are thrilled to have Jacque lead the Nets for years to come.”
With his job secured, Vaughn can now focus on the team’s transition from the Durant-Irving era to building a winning team with their youth and new acquisitions Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and the returning Spencer Dinwiddie.
They are 3-4 since Irving and Durant requested to be traded. But they have shown plenty of promise in their 116-105 win over the Miami Heat in their final game before the All-Star break.
Currently sitting fifth in the East, the 34-24 Nets hold a two-game edge over crosstown rival New York Knicks. Their remaining 24-game schedule is the seventh-toughest in the league, per Tankathon.
The Nets will begin the season’s final stretch with back-to-back road games in Chicago and Atlanta on Friday and Sunday.
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