Udoka lost his Celtics role last off-season after they discovered him to have been in an inappropriate relationship with a fellow team employee

The Houston Rockets have made a deal to makeIme Udoka the franchise’s next head coach.

Media reports in the U.S. on Monday say the Houston Rockets had, before committing to Udoka, talked to the league office and the Boston Celtics.

The talks were about the circumstances of the end of the coach’s tenure with the Celtics.

The Celtics fired Udoka last off-season after the franchise discovered he was in an inappropriate relationship with a fellow team employee.

Best known in his playing days for his defensive stopper role with the San Antonio Spurs, Udoka’s only season of head coaching experience came in 2021/2022.

That was when he led the Celtics to a 51-31 record and an NBA Finals appearance.

At the end of the regular season, the Rockets declined to pick up an option on Stephen Silas’ contract, officially opening a head coaching vacancy.

Silas had a combined record of 59-177 in his three seasons leading Houston through a full roster teardown and rebuild.

Silas had a combined record of 59-177 in his three seasons leading Houston through a full roster teardown and rebuild.

The Rockets will be one of three teams with a 14 per cent chance of landing the top overall pick in the 2023 draft.

This will be as the team looks to build around a very young core of Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason.

At full strength, the Rockets had the second-youngest starting lineup in the league this season, averaging 21 years and 147 days old.