Nets’ head coach Jacque Vaughn urges team to be present after Kyrie trade

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has had a lot of manage this season after taking over for the fired Steve Nash. Kyrie Irving’s trade request on Friday, that is now official, made Vaughn’s job even harder as he tried to keep his players focused despite the noise surrounding the team.

“Be present,” Vaughn said during his pregame availability ahead of Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. “Show up. Do your job today. So, pretty simple message for our group. Carryover from the second half of that last game (Saturday against the Washington Wizards). That awareness and sense of competitive spirit that we had, to start with that tonight.”

The trade that sent Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2027 unprotected first-round pick, and second-round picks in 2027 and 2029 became official around 6 p.m. EST on Monday. Now, Vaughn and the Nets who are still on the team can look forward to playing the Clippers without worrying about the Irving trade anymore.

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Story originally appeared on Nets Wire