NBA rumors: Raptors insider hints Nick Nurse-Rockets buzz is real

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has had a seat as ice cool as any coach in the league over the last few years, but things have really turned in the other direction this season. The confluence of his contract situation and Toronto’s disappointing record has some speculating if this is the end for Nurse in Canada.

The Raptors already seem to be dropping some hints to suggest they have their eyes elsewhere. On top of the fact that assistants like Earl Watson and Adrian Griffin will likely get some consideration, the latest rumblings seem to suggest that the Raptors are interested in giving former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka a second chance.

No matter who would replace Nurse in a hypothetical scenario in which he is removed from his post, the 2019 champion will assuredly end up getting another top coaching job once he leaves Toronto. The moribund Houston Rockets appear to be days from firing Stephen Silas, meaning they could look to Nurse as the culture-changer they need.

Doug Smith of the Toronto Star said that the Nurse-Rockets rumor “just won’t leave the rumor mill” and called the discussions “legitimate” even though Nurse is expected to be retained. Smith mentioned that Nurse has connections to the Rockets organization going back to his G League days.

NBA Rumors: Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse linked to Rockets

While Nurse is not the only reason Toronto has underperformed this season, he stands to shoulder a good chunk of the blame due to the fact he bungled multiple late-game situations early in the season and continued to tinker with rotations too much. 2021-22 was a masterpiece, but this year was the rushed, critically panned sequel.

Nurse, who was briefly linked to the Lakers job last season before those rumors were quickly shot down, appears to have the full support of Masai Ujiri and the rest of the front office, at least publically. Doubling down on the team’s culture and playing style while changing coaches would be odd.

While this website has been fairly critical of Nurse this season, getting rid of him to either bring in a PR nightmare like Udoka, an unsuccessful retrain like Watson, or a head coaching neophyte in Griffin brings with it a unique set of risks.

If Nurse is going to no longer be the Raptors coach, Houston makes sense. He can develop young talent, instill his culture and brand of basketball on the masses in Texas, and start fresh with a blank slate. Still, even with his struggles, Toronto should try to keep him unless they make a slam-dunk hire.