ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that the New Jersey Nets and Avery Johnson have a “verbal agreement” that will make Johnson the team’s new head coach.
Johnson, who has been working for ESPN since his dismissal from the Dallas Mavericks after the 2007-08 season, was the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2005 and took the Mavs to the NBA Finals in 2006. He posted a record of 194-70 in three-plus seasons, good for a winning percentage of .735, and will be reunited in New Jersey with point guard Devin Harris.
ESPN.com reported in early April that Harris was making a hard internal push for his former coach in Dallas.