NBA rumors: 3 Jacque Vaughn replacements as Nets hit reset button

The Brooklyn Nets officially parted ways with head coach Jacque Vaughn on Monday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

It's a sudden move, but not a particularly shocking one. Vaughn has been a popular scapegoat for Brooklyn's underwhelming season. Now the Nets look to turn over a new leaf.

Vaughn went 64-65 over two incomplete seasons with the Nets. He took the head coaching post from Steve Nash eight games into the 2022-23 season. While Vaughn was successful relative to Nash, everything changed when Brooklyn traded Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Expectations shifted, as did Vaughn's reputation.

According to SNY's Ian Begley, "multiple players" lost faith in Vaughn as the Nets' struggles mounted. Some in the organization even believed Vaughn would hinder the franchise's chances of landing a top player. Brooklyn has avoided a teardown with the explicit goal of landing another star next to Mikal Bridges, so a coach with such a negative reputation was never going to last.

Vaughn also coached the Orlando Magic from 2012-15, where he posted a combined record of 58-158. He now enters the free agent pool, with a strong chance to land a prominent assistant gig somewhere in the league.

Meanwhile, the Nets will look to land a coach who can command the respect of his players and potential free agents. Brooklyn plans to name an interim head coach shortly.

Here are a few juicy long-term options to replace the interim.

3. Nets can hire Heat assistant Chris Quinn

Chris Quinn has been labeled Erik Spoelstra's "mini-me" in Miami. If that isn't a stamp of approval, I'm not sure what is. Spoelstra has been the most successful head coach in the NBA over the last decade, with only a few possible exceptions. He consistently squeezes the most out of mismatched rosters and has led the Heat to two Finals appearances in four years — including last season, when Miami tore through the Eastern Conference as the No. 8 seed.

A former point guard, Quinn spent a year with the Nets back when the team was in New Jersey. He has a strong reputation for player development and his work ethic is well-documented. Spo has the respect of players around the league. A former NBA point guard with the Spo pedigree can probably command a locker room and leave his imprint on an organization.

The Nets could be weary of a first-time head coach given their desire to land a major free agent, but let's be honest. Brooklyn is a sub-.500 team with a noticeable lack of star-power. The front office has continually flubbed this post-KD era. It's hard to build a roster without your own draft picks, but all the same, Brooklyn has failed to pick a direction. They're too good to tank but not even good enough to make the play-in tournament. This mediocre stasis won't hold forever. The Nets need to be prepared for the possibility that no star forces his way to the borough.

Quinn should be able to navigate either outcome. There's no certainty with a rookie coach, but Quinn has been in the Heat organization since 2014. There isn't a better learning ground for an aspiring head coach. If he can translate even 50 percent of Spoelstra's magic touch to Brooklyn, the Nets' organization will be in a profoundly better place.