Avery Johnson is leaving the studio for the sideline.
The ESPN NBA analyst and former Dallas Mavericks coach will become the first Nets head coach under new Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
“We have come to a verbal agreement and hopefully the Nets will have an announcement [Thursday],” Johnson said on ESPN. “But yes, I am headed to New Jersey.”
As the coach of the Mavericks, Johnson was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2005 and led Dallas to the NBA Finals a year later.
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