The Brooklyn Nets are looking to hire suspended Boston Celtics coach, Ime Udoka, to replace recently fired Steve Nash according to respected NBA insiders, Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania, a news which has been met with mixed reactions from fans and pundits.

Udoka who led the Celtics to the championship finals in the 2021 season against the Golden State Warriors in his first season as head coach was suspended for one year after being found of having a consensual relationship with a female staff which is against organisation rules. 

The former D’Tigers player had served as assistant coach between 2020 to 2021, working with the Nets stars such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving before being hired by the Celtics to replace Brad Stevens who moved up the management ladder to become Celtics president of basketball operations.

According to Wojnarowski, Celtics have told the Nets that they are willing to let the suspended coach leave while also giving the New York franchise the go-ahead to speak with Udoka.

The Nets have had a bad start to the 2022/23 season winning just two games and losing six times, a trend they would be hoping to change as soon as possible so as to be able to make the playoffs. 

The news has been met with mixed reactions from fans and pundits alike. While some feel Udoka would be a good addition to the Nets and help them become a championship winning team, others believe it would send a wrong message to the fan base after his sexual misconduct issues in Boston.

“The Nets hiring Ime Udoka, at this moment in time, on its own would be incredibly disappointing, cynical and a mistake. In light of the Kyrie situation… just a giant blowtorch to values and connecting with your fan base. What are you trying to accomplish as an organization?” Ben Couch wrote on Twitter.

Kelsey Russo on Twitter added, “   When I saw the news of the Nets planning to hire Ime Udoka as their head coach, my heart sank. Did anyone stop to think about the women in the Celtics and Nets organizations? It’s a slap in the face to all those women, and women everywhere.”