With the Nets in the market for a head coach to take the reins from interim coach Jacque Vaughn, one long-shot target for the organization appears to be Gregg Popovich, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes.
While Woike’s report stresses that Popovich departing San Antonio after two decades of excellence is unlikely at best, the Nets figure to take their best shot at landing the legendary head coach. With the All-Star duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving expected healthy for Brooklyn in 2020-21, a coach of Popovich’s caliber would further legitimize the Nets’ championship aspirations.
However, a lot of elements are not in Brooklyn’s favor, particularly Popovich’s lengthy tenure with the Spurs and him being under contract for next season. Popovich, the NBA’s oldest head coach at 71, himself strongly indicated he would return to the Spurs’ bench for another season in 2020-21.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Popovich asked, per Marc Stein of The New York Times.
There is a clear-cut connection between the Nets and Spurs that could play in Brooklyn’s favor: General manager Sean Marks played under Popovich in San Antonio and then spent multiple seasons as a coach and executive with the Spurs. It could get the Nets’ proverbial foot in the door to discuss a union with Popovich, but Marks himself downplayed that possibility during a WFAN interview in July (via Woike):
“Pop has a job. So, I will say that. And, obviously, we all know he’s an amazing, amazing coach, and to be quite frank, an even better leader. So, I’ll let Pop continue to coach for the Spurs. He owes it to them and they owe it to him. I’m sure he’s quite happy there.”
Adding a five-time NBA champion coach with the most wins in league history to the sidelines would be a major coup for a Brooklyn team looking for its next leader. At this stage, however, it seems more a case of wishful thinking than a possible reality.
