Report: Nets plan to hire Kings assistant Fernandez as head coach

Report: Nets plan to hire Kings assistant Fernandez as head coach originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

Jordi Fernandez appears poised to become an NBA head coach for the first time.

The Sacramento Kings assistant coach has emerged as the Brooklyn Networks‘ leading head coaching candidate on Monday, with the team poised to make him their next hire, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported, citing sources.

Fernández was recently rumored to be a finalist for the position alongside names like former Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer and Phoenix Suns assistant Kevin Young.

The 41-year-old man would also have been involved in interviews for the Charlotte Hornets’ debut.

Brooklyn fired Jacque Vaughn in February after a 21-33 start to the season. The Nets began their rebuild last season after cutting Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Mikal Bridges, Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Nicolas Claxton and Ben Simmons are some of the notable names on the list.

Fernandez joined the Kings in 2022 and quickly worked his way up to become the team’s associate head coach. Following the news, his fellow Kings assistant coach Luke Loucks wished him luck.

Fernandez got his start in NBA-related coaching in 2009 with the Cleveland Cavaliers in player development, then had a long stint with the Denver Nuggets from 2016-22, which included a stint with former Kings coach Mike Malone.

Fernandez was also the head coach of the Canadian men’s national basketball team, which recently won bronze at the 2023 FIBA ​​World Cup.

Fernandez will continue to coach the Kings for the remainder of the 2023-24 NBA season, according to Wojnarowski, with Sacramento set to face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA play-in tournament game on Tuesday.

But when he leaves, Mike Brown and Co. would need to fill a key role to replace Fernandez’s impact on the team.