The Toronto Raptors, one of the most stable organizations in the league for the last decade, have been hit with some serious shockwaves in recent days. Not only is Nick Nurse threatening to leave, but he already has a potential landing spot out in the ether in the Houston Rockets.
The Raptors may already have inadvertently given this rumor validity, as they leaked that Ime Udoka is at or near the top of their wish list when it comes to replacing Nurse. Bill Simmons added further credence to all of these rumblings, saying that league circles are buzzing with chatter of a Nurse departure.
“I’ve never heard so many whispers in so many different corners, where everybody being like, ‘Yeah, he’s out of here,'” Simmons said. “It’s been going on all season.” Simmons also confirmed that all of those whispers mention Nurse looking at the Rockets as a potential destination.
Simmons did think it was strange Nurse and Houston have been connected so strongly, as some expect the Rockets to totally clean house on multiple levels in the offseason. Even with all that impending change, the idea of a Nurse departure has never seemed more realistic.
Rumors have been linking Nick Nurse to the Rockets and Ime Udoka to the Raptors: https://t.co/Zyhb2oiB8z
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 30, 2023
Bill Simmons says Nick Nurse might leave the Toronto Raptors.
Nurse seems to be the driving factor in this, which is wholly unfair to his players. While Toronto might get rid of him anyway if they end up disappointing in the play-in tournament, the fact that he is trying to put out feelers of a departure in the middle of a playoff race seems very odd.
Nurse may not have had his best season ever, but he could make the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons (with only the Tampa bubble serving as the outlier) if he makes it past the Chicago Bulls and whoever loses the 7-8 game this season. Coaches like that aren’t just hanging around.
The latest odds have listed Udoka as the top choice to replace Nurse, with top Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin firmly in second place behind him. Earl Watson, Sam Cassell, and Kenny Atkinson are three other assistants who have non-zero chances of coming to Toronto.
The Houston Rockets are not expected to bring back Stephen Silas after this season, per @JakeLFischer
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 7, 2023
Nick Nurse and Scott Brooks have been mentioned as potential candidates to replace Silas pic.twitter.com/TzdzBDM5fH
Simmons’ confirmation only adds more fuel to this fire that has no signs of being extinguished anytime soon. The Raptors pride themselves on very quietly going about their business, but this offseason promises to be extremely noisy.