Report: Former Michigan coach Juwan Howard joining Brooklyn Nets staff

It didn’t take long for Juwan Howard to find another coaching job.

The former Michigan coach is returning to the NBA after agreeing to join the Brooklyn Nets as an assistant coach, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.

Howard, who was fired by Michigan on March 15 after five seasons, will be part of new Nets coach Jordi Fernandez’s staff. Fernandez was hired earlier this week, after spending the past two seasons as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings.

Following his retirement from a 19-year NBA career in 2013, Howard transitioned into coaching. The Fab Five member spent six seasons as an assistant on Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s staff and played a vital role in helping develop Miami’s big men.

Howard, 51, was a candidate for several NBA head-coaching positions and interviewed with multiple teams before he returned to lead his alma mater in 2019. During his tenure in Ann Arbor, Howard’s name popped up for numerous NBA coaching opportunities — including the Los Angeles Lakers — but he turned down any and all offers.

Instead, he remained at Michigan, where he coached his sons Jett and Jace and led the Wolverines to an Elite Eight, Sweet 16 and a Big Ten regular-season title in his first three seasons. But Howard couldn’t sustain that success as the the Wolverines missed the NCAA Tournament each of the past two years.

The program's decline was lowlighted by a historically awful 8-24 campaign last season that set a program record for losses and ultimately led to Howard, who was sidelined for the first 10 games following offseason heart surgery, being dismissed.

Howard, who received a $3 million buyout from Michigan, posted an 82-67 record and a 48-47 mark in Big Ten play as the Wolverines' head coach before he was fired and replaced by new coach Dusty May last month.

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

@jamesbhawkins