Suns, 76ers fans think they’ll get Nick Nurse after Bucks head coach hire

Suns and 76ers fans were giddy on Saturday as the Bucks hired Adrian Griffin to be their head coach because that means Nick Nurse is still available.

Adrian Griffin is set to be the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and no one is more happy about that than fans of the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers.

Nick Nurse pulled out of the running for Milwaukee this weekend, clearing the way for Griffin’s hiring, according to Shams Charania.

Of course, that means Nurse has his eye on a different head coaching gig. And Suns fans and 76ers fans see that as a sign that he’s theirs for the taking.

Suns and 76ers fans are fighting over Nick Nurse after Bucks hire

Nurse was the head coach of the Raptors from 2018 until earlier this year when he was fired. He won the NBA Championship in 2019 to cap his first season but Toronto missed the playoffs twice in the ensuing four years. They couldn’t make it past the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the two years they did get into the postseason.

The championship on his record makes him one of the most coveted names on the coaching carousel this year. However, it’s hard to tell how much of Toronto’s recent drop off was the coach’s fault. Was a 2018-19 a flash in the pan or did the Raptors simply lose too many key players to sustain success under Nurse?

The Suns and the 76ers look likiest to bank on the theory that Nurse just needs a strong roster at his disposal again. Both Phoenix and Philadephia have massive starpower. After firing Monty Williams and Doc Rivers respectively for not getting them over the hump, they may see Nurse as the final piece.

Now it’s just a waiting game to see which city lands him.