Ime

Udoka

While exact terms of the deal are still unknown, Charania reported that the extension will make Udoka one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches. Udoka, 47, was one of the coaches the Knicks attempted to interview but were denied last week. He led the Rockets to a 52-win season and a two-seed in the playoffs. Udoka previously coached the Celtics, taking over for Brad Stevens in the 2021-22 season. He was suspended for the 2022-23 season for violating team policies and became the Rockets coach on April 25, 2023.

Since firing Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks have reportedly been interested in speaking with three sitting head coaches regarding their opening: Udoka, Minnesota’s Chris Finch and Dallas’s Jason Kidd. While New York reportedly has not formally requested permission to speak with Kidd, they did take that step with Udoka and Finch. According to Charania, Houston and Minnesota denied those requests. In Udoka’s case, he isn’t believed to have much interest in leaving the Rockets, who earned the two-seed in the West this season and have a young, developing roster to work with.

Udoka was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Heat after the altercation between Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro. He received the heaviest fine from the league as part of the punishments, but wasn’t suspended.

Houston parted ways with Stephen Silas less than three weeks ago, and they’ve found their next leader. Udoka took Boston to the NBA Finals in his first season and had them finish as a top ten team both offensively and defensively. However, they moved on from him after they found out he had an inappropriate workplace relationship. He’ll look to lead Houston to more wins after three straight poor seasons for the Rockets.

Recent rumors made it seem that Toronto and Nurse were headed towards a breakup, and it became official on Friday. Nurse will be a coveted candidate to take over as the head coach for multiple teams, including Houston and Detroit. Ime Udoka is expected to be a serious candidate to take over in Toronto as well.

With Joe Mazzulla’s interim tag removed, the Celtics don’t have any use for Udoka. While the Hawks have a list of other candidates, including Quin Snyder, Kenny Atkinson and Charles Lee. All three are former assistants in Atlanta. The Hawks will do a thorough head coaching search after giving a Nate McMillan a deal following his Eastern Conference Finals run. Whoever they bring in will be faced with the tall task of turning this team around and getting along with Trae Young.

Well it’s official, Joe Mazzulla is officially the captain now. The Celtics announced Thursday morning that Mazzulla will become its full-time coach as the two parties have also agreed upon a contract extension. Mazzulla, who took over after Ime Udoka was suspended indefinitely in September, has led Boston to the best record in the NBA at 42-17. Mazzulla was also named NBA All-Star head coach on Jan. 30 and will coach Team Giannis in Salt Lake City.

While Jacque Vaughn may lead the Nets against Chicago on Tuesday, Udoka will be at the helm for the remainder of the season. Boston will allow Udoka to leave with no compensation in return being reported. He was suspended indefinitely by the Celtics after inappropriate workplace behavior with a female employee and was not expected to coach them after his suspension ended. Udoka did have success leading Boston last season, guiding them to the NBA Finals in his only season as their head coach. Udoka was previously an assistant for Brooklyn and reportedly challenged Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving consistently. The Nets will be filled with drama between Irving, Udoka and Ben Simmons, but they’ll hope that the stars align for a turnaround after a 2-5 start to the season.

Jacque Vaughn will act as Brooklyn’s head coach against Chicago on Tuesday and probably until they decide on a more permanent solution. Udoka was an assistant with Brooklyn before taking Boston’s head coaching gig last season. He is suspended for this season after engaging in inappropriate workplace behavior, but Woj’s report indicates that Boston would let him take another job if he were offered one. Snyder’s success in Utah would make him another top candidate.

Udoka was suspended for one year because of inappropriate work place behavior. A year-long suspension is difficult to come back from and regain the locker room’s respect, so it makes sense that Boston or Udoka may be interested in moving on entirely. There hasn’t been anyone inside the Celtics’ organization that has said Udoka’s tenure as head coach of the team is done, but the rumors will swirl for the next year.