3 places Nick Nurse might coach after being fired by Raptors
By Ian Levy
1. Los Angeles Clippers
Technically, the Clippers don’t have a head coach opening — Ty Lue is under contract for two more seasons after this. However, it’s been a difficult and sometimes chaotic tenure with myriad injuries derailing the team’s championship aspirations. As recently as last month there were rumors, reported by Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, that Lue might consider leaving the Clippers at the end of this year.
If Lue and the Clippers decided to part ways at the end of this season, Nurse would be an obvious possible replacement. He has a championship pedigree and demonstrated the kind of tactical acumen that hasn’t always been a strength of Lue’s. He would also be working with two players — Norm Powell and Kawhi Leonard — who were a part of the 2019 Raptors, who he coached to a title.
It’s not clear what kind of situation would appeal most to Nurse. The Clippers, with their veteran roster and sky-high expectations, may be a bit too close to what he was working with in Toronto and he may prefer a more rebuilding scenario like the Rockets or Pistons. But it’s clear that Nurse will be one of the hottest coaching candidates on the market this summer and he’ll be drawing interest from a lot of different teams.
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