Getty Head coach Ime Udoka, formerly of the Boston Celtics
Ime Udoka is no longer affiliated with the Boston Celtics. After being suspended by the team for the season after violating organizational guidelines, the Celtics have agreed to let the Brooklyn Nets take Udoka off their hands and take the reins as their new head coach after parting ways with Steve Nash.
When the Celtics have let previous coaches under contract go to another team, they have received compensation for it like they did when they received a first-round pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Doc Rivers in 2013. However, according to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, that will not be the case with Udoka going to the Nets.
According to a league source, the Celtics are unlikely to seek compensation if Ime Udoka finalizes a deal with the Nets.
Regardless of what Udoka did to warrant his suspension, he was the last head coach to lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals, so fans and writers were shocked to see that the Celtics were not getting any compensation after letting him go to the Nets.
Meanwhile, reporters are pointing out that the Celtics receiving no compensation back in exchange for letting Udoka go to the Nets means the situation is probably worse than what the public knows.
Celtics getting nothing for a coach that had them two wins away from an NBA Title is again “We don’t know even half the details” energy.
Whatever happened, the Celtics clearly had every intention to move on from Udoka the first chance they got.
Celtics Assistants Remaining in Boston
When Ime Udoka was originally hired by Boston, he brought over a few of his assistants, including Will Hardy, who is now the head coach of the Utah Jazz, and Damon Stoudamire as part of his coaching staff.
When Udoka was first suspended, many speculated if the assistants he brought over, like Stoudamire, would remain with the team. After news broke out that Udoka will be the next head coach of the Nets, The Athletic’s Jay King reported that none of his assistants will be coming with him.
“One interesting dynamic from Udoka landing in Brooklyn: Several of his guys remain assistants on the Celtics staff. I don’t anticipate anything changing this season. They are under contract in Boston. But the situation could be something to monitor long term,” King said.
One interesting dynamic from Udoka landing in Brooklyn: Several of his guys remain assistants on the Celtics staff. I don’t anticipate anything changing this season. They are under contract in Boston. But the situation could be something to monitor long term.
Until further notice, it appears the Celtics coaching staff will remain the way it is. Mazzulla remains the team’s interim head coach, though that could change over time depending on how well Mazzulla does running the show.
Jaylen Brown Posts Udoka News on Instagram
After the Udoka news was announced, Jaylen Brown posted the news on his Instagram story.
Brown did not post any caption to go along with this news, so it can be left up to interpretation as to why he’s calling attention to it. Maybe he’s happy that his former head coach is getting another chance in the NBA. Maybe he’s excited to take on the Nets going forward now that Udoka is running things for them. Maybe he’s glad to know that Udoka is gone. The situation clearly matters to him since he is calling attention to it.
Before Udoka was hired by the Celtics, Brown learned under his tutelage when he played under Udoka for Team USA in 2019. Brown also played against the Nets back when Udoka was their assistant coach under Steve Nash back in 2021.