Brooklyn Nets fire former Phoenix Suns two-time MVP Steve Nash as their head coach

The Brooklyn Nets fired Steve Nash as their head coach Tuesday.

Nash, 48, arrived in Brooklyn with championship expectations, but without head coaching experience. The two-time NBA MVP with the Phoenix Suns only won one playoff series as a head coach despite having Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

"It was an amazing experience with many challenges I'm incredibly grateful for,'' Nash tweeted in a statement Tuesday morning. "It was a pleasure to work with the players, performance team and front office everyday. I'm especially grateful to my coaching staff and video room who are a talented group with so much character and professionalism."

ESPN is reporting the Nets are looking to hire suspended Celtics coach Ime Udoka with the next to 48 hours as Boston will let him leave for another job.

Nash compiled a 94-67 record in two full seasons and seven games this season. The Nets won just one playoff series under him as they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of last season’s playoffs.

Milwaukee beat Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference semifinals in seven games on its 2021 championship run that ended with taking down the Suns in the finals.

The Nets started this season 2-5. They experienced a four-game losing skid before beating Indiana on Monday. The Pacers topped the Nets two nights earlier, 125-116, leading Nash to describe the loss as a “disaster” and questioning the fire of the team.

Nash’s firing is a continuation of drama for the franchise.

Durant asked for a trade in the offseason with Phoenix and Miami being atop his trade list.

Ben Simmons hasn't played well so far this season after the Nets traded James Harden to Philadelphia for him last season.

Team owner Joe Tsai tweeted last week he was ''disappointed'' that Irvin had tweeted a link to a documentary based on a book “full of anti-semitic disinformation.''

Nash had a storied career with the Suns that began as a first round pick in the famed 1996 draft. He was traded to Dallas in 1998, but returned as a free agent signing going into the 2004-05 season and led a resurgence of the franchise.

The eight-time All-Star won consecutive league MVPs (2005, 2006) as the orchestrator of Mike D'Antoni's 'Seven Seconds or Less" offense. The Suns made it to the Western Conference Finals those years and again in 2010, but never reached the finals.

Nash stayed with Phoenix through the 2011-12 season, before finishing his career with the Lakers. A dynamic point guard and leader, Nash was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.

So while Nash didn't have any head coaching experience, his success as a player and basketball knowledge helped justify Nets general manager Sean Marks hiring him.

Marks and Nash were teammates in Phoenix.

However, the Nets fell short of lofty expectations under Nash. Then when Durant reportedly gave Tsai an ultimatum to keep either him or Marks and Nash after making his trade demands, that was a clear sign of Nash's status with the franchise.

Tsai publicly supported Nash and Marks. Durant and the franchise later agreed to more forward together, but the slow start to this season spelled doom for Nash.

Nash thanked Tsai, Tsai's wife, Clara, and Marks in Tuesday's statement tweet.

"Lastly, thanks to Brooklyn and the passionate fans who support this team," Nash tweeted. "Family first and my family has found a home here and loves being a part of this beautiful community. I wish the Nets all the success in the world and the Nash's will be rooting for our team as they turn this season around."

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brooklyn Nets fire Steve Nash as their head coach after 2-5 start