3 non-Rockets teams Nick Nurse may ditch the Raptors for
By Mike Luciano
2. Chicago Bulls
Toronto and Chicago are in the same boat this season. Both have multiple All-Stars that were expected to lead a team that could make vast improvements after making the postseason last year, but they instead find themselves in the play-in. This will likely impact the job security of Billy Donovan.
While Donovan did sign a contract extension before the season, Chicago has been an organization that will often pivot quickly off things that aren’t working. Reports earlier in the season of a strained relationship with star Zach LaVine likely won’t help Donovan make his case for retention.
Can the Chicago Bulls hire Nick Nurse from the Toronto Raptors?
The LaVine/DeMar DeRozan/Nikola Vucevic core may have struggled this season, but if Jerry Reinsdorf believes that Nurse is an upgrade over Donovan, he might ride it out with this group for one more season. Nurse already has a personal connection with DeRozan.
Losing Nurse to the Bulls could be a major crisis for Toronto, as the incredibly deep Eastern Conference will get even stronger. Nurse will bring enough talent both on the court and on the bench with him, which could beef Chicago up at the expense of Toronto.