Suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka looks set to join the Brooklyn Nets as their new head coach after Steve Nash was fired Tuesday afternoon, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Udoka led the Celtics to an NBA Finals appearance against the Warriors in his first season as coach before being suspended for the entire 2022-23 season.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported in September that the suspension was for violating team policies relating to an improper intimate relationship he had with a female Celtics staff member. Udoka is married.
Charania reported that while the relationship was thought to have been consensual, the woman later reported Udoka for making unwanted comments.
There had been no guarantee that Udoka would return to the Celtics bench following his suspension.
The announcement came shortly before the season began, so thousands of bettors had already punched in their Udoka Coach of the Year tickets.
Udoka had been the preseason favorite at +750 to win the award before his punishment.
Some books voided the tickets for all marketplaces, like PointsBet.
Meanwhile, books like BetMGM left the Coach of the Year tickets open. For Udoka COY bets there, they're still valid if the suspended coach makes the trip down the I-95 to New York City.
Udoka's replacement in Boston, Joe Mazzulla, is the current favorite in the marketplace at a consensus price of +650. That figures to change should Udoka return this season.
