NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to upend Nets coaching search?

Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving might take over the coaching search.

When former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was fired back in March, it was immediately speculated that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s fingerprints, despite both players being sidelined with injuries for most of the season up until that point, were all over the decision.

We may never know the extent to which the two superstars were involved in Atkinson’s shocking dismissal, but this latest rumor makes it impossible not to think they want somebody else running the show.

According to an ESPN report, Nets general manager Sean Marks is leaning towards appointing  Jacque Vaughn after his masterful showing as the team’s interim head coach. However, the report also claims that Durant and Irving would prefer it if Brooklyn hired a high-profile coach.

"“Vaughn has earned the respect of both the players and the organization,” wrote Jackie MacMullan of ESPN. “In fact, sources say, Marks is seriously considering Vaughn for the permanent job. Yet, league sources say Durant and Irving are interested in a higher profile head coach, along the lines of Tyronn Lue or Gregg Popovich, who are among the candidates who have been linked to the opening.”“You can be sure both players will offer their opinions on who should be the next coach. Marks, who understands all too well how this works, will undoubtedly listen.”"

The report continues to note that Durant and Irving have grown fond of Vaughn and would like to keep him around. However, the fact that he isn’t a big-name and doesn’t flaunt playoff experience suggests they would like him to return to his post as an assistant.

The rumblings surrounding Lue and Popovich make perfect sense when you consider their connections with the two superstars. The former, of course, coached Irving from 2015-2018 in Cleveland. The latter, meanwhile shares a strong relationship with Marks and is apparently one of Durant’s favorite coaches in the NBA.

On the heels of this report, we’re now led to believe that Brooklyn’s coaching search is shaping up to be a three-horse race between Vaughn, Lue and Popovich. However, that isn’t the main takeaway here as those three names have been linked to the vacancy in some capacity over the last few months.

What Nets fans should gather from this rumor is that whoever is appointed as the new head coach, you can almost guarantee that Durant and Irving had significant pull in the hiring process.