The Ime Udoka era in Boston is over.
Now what?
do the Red Sox have an apathy problem?
Udoka is no longer employed by the Celtics in any capacity, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. That implies Udoka is no longer suspended, and has instead cut ties with the organization altogether. The Celtics suspended Udoka for the 2022-23 season during training camp, and reportedly docked half of his $4 million salary.
It’s likely that the Celtics and Udoka came to some sort of separation agreement.
The Celtics removed the “interim” tag Thursday from head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Barring more information, Udoka’s shocking suspension goes down as one of the biggest mysteries in recent Boston sports history, right up there with Malcolm Butler’s Super Bowl benching.
He was suspended for carrying on an inappropriate relationship with a female underling. An independent law firm uncovered that Udoka used “crude language” in his dialogue with the woman.
Earlier this season, the Nets were interested in hiring Udoka after firing Steve Nash seven games into the campaign, but reneged after public backlash.
The Celtics were seemingly willing to let Udoka walk without demanding compensation, even though he was still under contract.
With Udoka now a free agent, he’s expected to be a strong head coaching candidate this summer, reports Mannix.
The Celtics came within two wins of the NBA championship last season. That’s the piece of Udoka’s resume that teams will probably look at first, assuming more distressing information doesn’t emerge.