Former Mavericks point guard Steve Nash out as Brooklyn Nets head coach

The Dallas Mavericks completed one of the best draft nights in NBA history by trading for Steve Nash in 1998. He was entering his third year but was seldom used behind Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson in Phoenix. The Mavs wanted a new fresh point guard to feed the ball to Michael Finley and rookie big man Dirk Nowitzki as they looked to end a lengthy playoff drought.

Nash became an All-Star with the Mavericks and will forever be part of one of the greatest what-ifs in Mavs history after the team let him walk in 2004, only for Nash to win two MVP honors in Phoenix.

Nash was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 and took over as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in 2020. He was picked to lead Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as the Nets attempted to form a superteam, but the experiment has so far fallen flat, and Nash and the Nets ended his tenure as head coach on Nov. 1 after two-plus seasons in charge.

Former Mavericks point guard Steve Nash out as Brooklyn Nets head coach

Kevin Durant demanded Nash and Sean Marks be fired (subscription required) in the offseason, but ownership stuck with their general manager and head coach, but after a 2-5 start and the endless drama still revolving in Brooklyn, Nash was let go on Tuesday morning. Woj reported the decision was mutual between the two sides.

Nash was 94-67 as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, but the squad never lived up to their championship expectations. The 48-year-old led them to the playoffs twice, including a conference semifinal loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020 where Brooklyn was inches away from closing the series out. Things were just never meant to be for Nash with the Nets.

Jacque Vaughn was named acting head coach, but Brooklyn is canvasing the best available names to take over per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

What will Steve Nash do next? He was a soccer analyst before taking over as Nets head coach, so anything could be in the cards for the Hall of Fame point guard. Stay tuned to The Smoking Cuban for all the latest on the former Maverick.