Brooklyn Nets hire Hall of Fame PG Steve Nash as HC

No one expected this. The Brooklyn Nets are hiring legendary point guard Steve Nash to take over as head coach.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to break the news that the Brooklyn Nets are hiring Steve Nash as their next head coach. The Hall of Famer is signing a four-year deal with Brooklyn and the organization confirmed the hire via Tweet.

OFFICIAL: The Brooklyn Nets have named Steve Nash as the 23rd head coach in the franchise’s NBA history. pic.twitter.com/SG8OoN3a8g

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) September 3, 2020

According to Wojnarowski, Jacque Vaughn, who took over in the interim for the ousted Kenny Atkinson, will stay on as a lead assistant and become the highest-paid assistant in the league.

This will be Nash’s first head-coaching gig, but he was a consultant with the Golden State Warriors while Kevin Durant was there. The two are said to have a strong relationship and it’s likely that their closeness played a major role in Nash’s hiring. It’s also worth noting that general manager Sean Marks and Nash were teammates on the Phoenix Suns.

This is wholly unexpected and it shows how tight-lipped Brooklyn’s front office can be when they want to. This move comes out of nowhere after extensive rumors surrounding San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

The Nets might have made some overtures to Popovich on the down-low and were rebuffed. On the flip side, the rumors about Popovich could have been misdirection the entire time.

Either way, the Nets have their man and now the real work begins. Durant and Kyrie Irving should be fully healthy entering the 2020-21 season and thus, their championship window is wide open.

Brooklyn has spent the last two summers making jaw-dropping signings. Now we’ll see if it results in the franchise’s first NBA title.