A year ago, Vaughn received a contract extension, but the Nets want a new direction.
Jacque Vaughn’s strong work guiding the Brooklyn Nets earned him a contract extension at last season’s All-Star break.
Just a year later, the Nets fired Vaughn after a 50-point loss in his final game, their worst since moving to Brooklyn.
The Nets announced Vaughn’s departure Monday and said an interim coach would be named soon.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Jacque has represented this organization with exemplary character and class for the past eight years. The consistent positivity and passion he poured into our team daily will remain with the players and staff he interacted with throughout his tenure.”
The Nets dropped five of their last six games before the break to fall to 21-33, putting them in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. Their 136-86 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday was their worst defeat since leaving New Jersey in 2012 and the second-worst in franchise history, and leading scorer Mikal Bridges seemed particularly frustrated in his postgame comments.
Vaughn, a Pasadena Muir High School product before playing at Kansas and the NBA, finished 71-68 with the Nets, guiding them into the playoffs on two separate stints.
Vaughn replaced the fired Steve Nash on Nov. 1, 2022, and quickly led the Nets from a poor start toward the top of the East.
