It’s been one week since the Celtics terminated Ime Udoka, and he’s apparently already fielding interest from around the league.
The Hawks are considering Udoka to fill their head coaching vacancy, reports NBA Insider Marc Stein. Atlanta fired Nate McMillan earlier this week. The Hawks have underachieved with a 29-30 record, though they feature two All-Star guards, Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
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Former Jazz head coach Quinn Snyder is the front-runner for the position, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and the team is targeting several well-regarded assistants. But still, the Hawks’ reported interest in Udoka is notable. It indicates that his dismissal from the Celtics won’t impact his future job prospects.
The Celtics suspended Udoka days before the start of the season, due to an inappropriate romantic relationship he carried on with a female subordinate. Little information about the affair has been uncovered over the ensuing months.
It’s apparent Celtics players still feel close to Udoka. At the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, Jayson Tatum said Udoka is probably his “most favorite coach” ever.
Shortly after Udoka was suspended, Marcus Smart came to his defense in the Boston Globe, saying his punishment “made no sense.”
The Celtics came within two wins of winning the NBA championship last season. Under Joe Mazzulla, they currently hold the best record in the NBA (42-17), though they’ve trailed off a little recently.
Boston removed the “interim” tag from Mazzulla heading into the All-Star break last week.