Things have been far from great for the Toronto Raptors. This season, the 2019 NBA champions got knocked out without being able to make it to the playoffs. Shocking the Raptors’ supporters further, it has now been reported that the front office has shown the door to a key member of the Raptors’ camp. Besides, big names are reportedly on the run to replace the man who was crucial to the Toronto-based franchise’s only NBA triumph.
Nick Nurse joined the Raptors as an assistant coach in 2013. In 2018, Nurse took charge as the head coach of the franchise and led the Toronto side to a championship triumph the same season. Now, as reports suggest, that glorious journey has come to an end. Besides, the franchise is reportedly in pursuit to bring in another iconic coach to replace Nurse.
The Toronto Raptors set to undergo a massive shift
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Toronto Raptors have recently announced that the team has sacked their head coach Nick Nurse after the conclusion of the Northern side’s underwhelming season. According to reports, Nurse had a year and more than $8 million left on his contract. The crucial decision has reportedly been made after Raptors President Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse held numerous meetings.
The update came as a bolt from the blue for NBA Twitter after Shams Charania took to Twitter and tweeted, “The Toronto Raptors have fired coach Nick Nurse, sources tell.”
The Toronto Raptors have fired coach Nick Nurse, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 21, 2023
Following this massive update from the Raptors, word spread that the 2019 NBA champions are looking forward to bringing in former Celtics coach Ime Udoka. Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season by the Celtics front office after he had violated company policies. Ime Udoka’s stint as the Celtics coach ended when the interim coach Joe Mazzulla replaced the former in February. Taking the speculation to the hoops world, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweeted, “Former Celtics coach Ime Udoka is expected to be a serious candidate to replace Nurse, sources tell ESPN.”
Former Celtics coach Ime Udoka is expected to be a serious candidate to replace Nurse, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/L15nmpkxVo
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 21, 2023
With this shocker of an update from the Raptors, the hoops world has now started to speculate where Nick Nurse will end up.
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Nurse’s future in the NBA
The 2020 Coach of the Year might make his move to Houston to take charge as the head coach of the Houston Rockets, reports said. Despite spending three years as the head coach of the Rockets, Stephen Silas failed to take the side to the playoffs during his stint. The Rockets reportedly sacked Silas on April 10.
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Given the back-to-back lackluster campaigns of the Houston Rockets, it has been widely speculated that the team is aiming for a thorough rebuild. Few days back, it was rumored that the franchise is trying to bring back James Harden. Besides, Celtics star Jaylen Brown was also rumored to join the Rockets. Moreover, as the position of head coach is still vacant, it cannot be ruled out that the Rockets could try to bring in a championship winner like Nick Nurse.
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