Multiple NBA teams interested in Ime Udoka?

Apr 25, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka coaches against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter of game four of the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Ime Udoka may not be entirely cancelled just yet.

Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com reported Wednesday that NBA teams are getting into the process of vetting the ex-Boston Celtics head coach Udoka. Bulpett adds that people from three different organizations have called Boston to discuss Udoka.

The Udoka era came to an official end for the Celtics in February when they formally named Joe Mazzulla as their head coach and signed Mazzulla to an extension. Mazzulla had originally taken over an interim basis when Boston suspended Udoka for the entire 2022-23 NBA season over an inappropriate relationship with a team employee.

Udoka is still only 45 and led the Celtics to the NBA Finals as a rookie head coach in 2021-22. He was recently named as a candidate for one coaching vacancy in the Eastern Conference but ultimately did not get the job.

Any such return by Udoka to the NBA would surely come with some form of public outcry (not to mention the internal workplace concerns that it would create). But if both Udoka and his new team can get past all that, it might prove to be a worthwhile partnership.