2x Coach of the Year winner linked as possible long-term headman for Nets

Earlier this week the Brooklyn Nets opted to part ways with their long-tenured assistant and most recent head coach Jacque Vaughn following an abysmal 21-33 start to the season.

In his place, GM Sean Marks has elected to promote Kevin Ollie as the club's new interim head coach, a tenure that, though admittedly still incredibly young, has sadly already gotten off to a rough start what with their 121-93 blowout loss to the equally hapless Toronto Raptors in his Thursday night debut.

With 27 games left to play in 2023-24, there is still time for Brooklyn to turn their fortunes around and, in turn, thrust themselves into the coveted Play-In Tournament picture. Should this happen, The Athletic's Shams Charania has gone on record to state that there's a possibility the Nets could shed the "interim" label off Ollie's title and, in turn, make him their head coach moving forward.

Of course, the NBA Insider would also go on to note that the front office is still expected to "have a full-blown coaching search" this summer where Michael Scotto of HoopsHype is reporting former Milwaukee Bucks headman Mike Budenholzer could very well be considered for the role.

Mike Budenholzer linked as possible candidate for Brooklyn Nets job

"...in talking with many rival executives around the league and other sources, there’s a belief that a former head coach would most likely make sense if you’re trying to retool instead of rebuild. Mike Budenholzer is the name at the tip of everyone’s tongue when discussing potential Nets coaching candidates due to his Spurs tree connection, winning a championship, and he’s arguably the most notable name on the market."

- Michael Scotto

A two-time NBA Coach of the Year winner and a five-time NBA Champion serving as a coach, with his 2021 title coming while serving as head coach of the Bucks, Budenholzer is one of the league's most winningest coaches of the 21st century and boasts a career record of 484-317 (.604) and a postseason record of 56-48 (.538) throughout his stints in both Atlanta and Milwaukee.

Despite his illustrious resume and the intentions of the Nets to build a contender in the coming years, Scotto would report that Sean Marks "said no" when asked if "he’d look to hire a guy with previous coaching experience" after the shortcomings of both Kenny Atkinson and Steve Nash, so, at this point, there's truly no telling what direction the franchise will look to go in when looking for a long-term coaching replacement.