The Nets are a team comprised of two superstars, and the Spurs are a work in process, undergoing a rebuild, which could be why Brooklyn is attempted to hire away San Antonio’s head coach.
Gregg Popovich has been the Spurs coach since 1996, winning five titles during that time, most recently in 2014. But the Spurs are rebuilding their roster with young talent, and especially in the vaunted Western Conference, it’s clear they’re not winning a championship anytime soon.
The Nets, on the other hand, are in win-now mode. They’ll have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back next season, with a nice cast of role players alongside them as well. They’re in the market for a head coach, though, even though Jacque Vaughn did an impressive job in the interim.
And while there are a number of impressive names that could be available — Jeff Van Gundy, Ty Lue and Marc Jackson among them — the Nets appear to be setting their sights high. A report from Shams Charania of The Athletic states that the Nets are “seriously explor[ing] the possibilities” of acquiring Popovich to coach the team — adding that doing so is a “first priority” for them.
To do so, they’d have to trade for Popovich, and hope that he wants to coach some of the divas on the Nets roster, but crazier things have happened.
