In a coaching market that was becoming more competitive by the day, the Houston Rockets have locked down their next head coach.
The Rockets have reportedly agreed to terms with former Boston Celtics head coach and longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka to replace Stephen Silas. Udoka, 45, was the hot available coach this cycle and was drawing interest from both Detroit and Toronto for their openings.
Udoka, who guided the Celtics to the NBA Finals 2022 in his first season with the team, takes over a rebuilding franchise that is back in the NBA Draft Lottery for the third straight offseason. The Rockets were 59-177 in their seasons with Silas at the helm, but have a talented young core led by Jalen Green and will have a top-three pick in the NBA Draft.
Udoka, of course, is available after a messy departure from the Celtics which began as a season-long suspension prior to the 2022-23 campaign as a result of a violation of the team’s code of conduct. He was later fired. Udoka is believed to have had an inappropriate relationship with a female employee of the Celtics.
But the reason for his dismissal has not prevented other teams from showing interest in Udoka. The Brooklyn Nets were negotiating a deal with Udoka during the season after parting ways with Steve Nash. It’s believed that the Raptors and Piston had a strong interest in him this offseason.
Udoka, who is believed to have always been the Rockets’ top target, met with Rockets general manager Rafael Stone last Wednesday.
