Getty Kevin Durant and Steve Nash look on during a recent game against the Miami Heat.
Several people from last year’s Brooklyn Nets coaching staff are already not returning for the 2022-23 season. On July 19, another key coaching fixture was added to the list.
NBA insider Shams Charania of “The Athletic” reported that Nets developmental coach Kyle Korver, also will not return to the franchise next season after accepting an offer from his former team, the Atlanta Hawks.
“The Atlanta Hawks are finalizing the hire of Kyle Korver to a front office role, sources tell [The Athletic] and [Stadium],” Charania tweeted on July 19. “Korver played in Atlanta from 2012-17, making the All-Star team in 2015. He was a Nets player development coach last season.”
The Atlanta Hawks are finalizing the hire of Kyle Korver to a front office role, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Korver played in Atlanta from 2012-17, making the All-Star team in 2015. He was a Nets player development coach last season.
Korver, who shot 42.9% from beyond the arc in his NBA career, was considered a key coach for the Nets. He was often seen working with Nets star Ben Simmons, who has struggled with his jump shot throughout his short NBA career.
Ben Simmons working with Kyle Korver at Nets practice today.
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Amare Stoudemire Sounds off on Nets Exit
Another key loss from Nets head coach Steve Nash’s staff is his former Phoenix Suns teammate Amare Stoudemire, who served as a player development assistant for the past two seasons. After he announced that he would not be returning for the 2023 season, the former Nets coach explained the reason for his departure during an Instagram live session in May.
“I spoke about me not being able to grow in the coaching space because I don’t work on Shabbat. Not working on Friday nights and Saturdays is difficult for anyone to grow in the coaching space because coaching is such a grind. It requires you to be there full-time and so for me, I was unable to grow in that space, so I did not want to continue coaching,” Stoudemire said on an Instagram live on May 18.
“On the flip side, the Nets organization wants people who can be there full-time, and I totally understand that, Therefore, it was a mutual understanding between them and I.”
Stoudemire Says ‘No Bad Blood’ Between Him & Nets
Despite his departure from the Nets, Stoudemire insists that there is no bad blood between him and the franchise. His departure, in a lot of ways, was a mutual decision. He also has no regrets about the two years he spent in Brooklyn.
“Beautiful organization. Sean Marks and I are great friends. Steve Nash and I are good friends. I met all the staff. The organizational employees that work for the Nets are beautiful people. (I) had a beautiful time, and an amazing experience with the organization,” Stoudemire added.
“There’s no hard feeling no way, no how. I was there for two years sacrificing my time away from my family for those two years but still was able to hold down the fort and fulfill my obligation. So, there’s no quitting from that standpoint.”
With Korver being just the latest loss from the Nets coaching tree, Nash’s staff is beginning to look thinner by the day. As the Nets gear up for perhaps the most important season in franchise history, it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff fills out as we inch closer to training camp.
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