The Nets say they “mutually parted ways” with Kenny Atkinson. Reality says the players got him fired, by ineffectiveness or insurrection.

The body of work suggests Atkinson deserved better.

With Brooklyn sitting seventh in the East and 20 games left, it was a shocking move to can Atkinson on Saturday morning and name Jacque Vaughn interim coach. He and GM Sean Marks in 2016 inherited an NBA-worst mess bereft of draft picks, and were on the brink of a second straight playoff berth.

“I am extremely grateful to Kenny Atkinson for what he’s done for our franchise over the years,” Nets owner Joe Tsai tweeted. “If we did not have him, we would not be where we are with promising young guys still improving. All the best Kenny.”

But Atkinson didn’t get the players’ best, some underperforming for him and others undercutting him. Having stars such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the team put a target on Atkinson’s back, and sources say it was Irving who put the knife in it.

“This didn’t involve the players,” Marks insisted. “This was a matter where it was a discussion between Kenny and myself. We brought in ownership when we needed to and we arose at this decision.

“This was a decision that wasn’t even about Kevin, Kyrie, Caris [LeVert], Joe [Harris], Spencer [Dinwiddie], Jarrett Allen. This was a decision that Kenny, myself and ownership came up with.”

This had apparently been brewing for some time. And despite the Nets being a modest 28-34, this is more player-driven than results-driven.

“Kenny and I had these pretty frank conversations. And it wasn’t last night, 24 hours; there wasn’t one game,” Marks said. “This was a culmination of events over the course of the year. Kenny’s brutally honest, and the humility he showed to admit ‘My voice is not what it once was here. It’s time.’

“This is a compromise that Kenny and I and ownership came up with; it was time. Kenny grinded and did everything he could, but it was time for another voice in that locker room, and it’s our job to find it.”

Whether that’s Ty Lue, Mark Jackson or even retaining Vaughn, the next coach had better be communicative and collaborative with the players, especially the stars.

The Nets who spoke Saturday say Marks didn’t canvas them, and Durant — who spoke with Marks before Friday’s win — declined comment, but said in September he picked Brooklyn partly for Atkinson. Still, Atkinson realized some players were tuning him out, with Irving believed to be among them.

“I never really did,” LeVert said. “But we had a lot of new guys this year, so you never really know how that goes.”

Though Marks denied soliciting his stars’ opinions, he’s too shrewd not to before making a coaching move. That would be malfeasance.

“I absolutely [had] no ‘Fire Kenny’ conversations with Sean, so I don’t know, not a part of that,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s not like I called Joe [Tsai] on the phone and was like, ‘Hey you making any moves?’ I like to think we’re cool, but not that cool.”

Harris admitted coaching developmental players is different than managing stars.

“Dealing with a young, up-and-coming team is much different than coaching superstar players,” said Harris. “It’s a much different dynamic.”

Marks said making the move now will help Atkinson move on to his next job, and he likely will be in demand with rebuilding teams, possibly the Knicks. He had become New York’s longest-tenured coach in December, but had ominously sounded as if he understood his coaching mortality.

“It shows coaching is a tough business,” Atkinson had said. “I don’t know if it makes me proud or sad for the other guys. I know this is a tough business, tough to survive in, especially in New York.”

He knows it even better now.

Atkinson’s successor, Vaughn, made it a point to speak with Irving and asked the players what they would like to see changed.

“It’s a service business. I’m serving these guys. I’m just a vessel,” said a self-aware Vaughn. “It’s today’s game and being able to adjust to that, getting the most out of talent on your roster, but also listening and hearing the voices of the No. 1, 2, 3, 4 guys on your roster. It’s crucial, and having that relationship is a must in today’s game.

“I don’t want to speak for those guys [on pushback], but what I will say is in today’s game you have to be able to continually reinforce your philosophy and continue to communicate with guys.”