Nets Rumors: Insiders Thought Jacque Vaughn Hindered BK’s Pursuit of Top NBA Players

Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 20, 2024

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The Brooklyn Nets front office reportedly worried former coach Jacque Vaughn would “hinder” the franchise’s efforts to acquire a star.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported there had been frustration brewing with Vaughn’s refusal to define roles.

Spencer Dinwiddie reportedly spoke to Vaughn about establishing “a hierarchy on offense” before he was traded to the Toronto Raptors at the deadline. Star Mikal Bridges also reportedly wanted changes to the offense.

The Nets fired Vaughn on Monday in a somewhat surprising move. He went 64-65 during his tenure, including a 21-33 record this season. The Boston Celtics defeated Brooklyn by 50 points in the final game before the All-Star break.

“You can’t just let this one go, just let it drop. Maybe if you lost (a close game) towards the end, but you got beat by 50,” Bridges said at the time. “A lot of s–t is not right and you’ve got to fix it.”

Vaughn’s tenure in Brooklyn was defined by tumult. He was hired seven games into the 2022-23 season after the Nets fired Steve Nash and inherited a mess. Kevin Durant had requested a trade over the summer, and the franchise’s relationship with Kyrie Irving was strained after the All-Star guard sat out much of the 2021-22 campaign amid his refusal to undergo COVID-19 vaccination.

By February, Durant and Irving both successfully pushed for a trade out of Brooklyn, leaving Vaughn with a roster filled with mismatched parts acquired in the deals. Bridges has been the crown jewel of the trade hauls, but the Nets didn’t do much over the summer to improve their roster and have understandably struggled.

Vaughn did little to coach up the roster, but this is a lottery team performing exactly to the level of its talent. Few, if any, coaches would be able to take this roster to the playoffs.

It would be fair to wonder if Vaughn was being scapegoated for the failures of management, but the reported frustration of players behind the scenes likely means moving on was a sound decision.