NBA Rumors: Nick Nurse to Be Targeted by Rockets For HC Job After Raptors Firing

The Houston Rockets are reportedly expected to consider Nick Nurse for their head coaching vacancy.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Nurse had been let go by the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

According to Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report, the Rockets are targeting the 55-year-old as a "strong candidate" to be their next head coach.

Per Wojnarowski, the Rockets are "progressing toward" a second round of head coaching interviews that will include former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel and the "introduction" of Nurse into the process.

The Houston job became available last week when it declined to pick up the fourth-year option in Stephen Silas' contract.

After spending five seasons as an assistant with the Raptors, Nurse took over as Toronto's head coach in 2018 and spent the next five campaigns in that role.

With Nurse at the helm, the Raptors went 227-163 and made the playoffs three times. Their greatest success came in Nurse's first season when they went 58-24 and beat the Golden State Warriors to win the first and only NBA championship in franchise history in 2019.

Kawhi Leonard was the driving force behind that team's success, and after he left for the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, Toronto failed to return to that level.

The Raptors missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons, including this season when they went 41-41 and lost to the Chicago Bulls in the postseason play-in tournament.

Houston reached the playoffs in eight straight seasons from 2012 through 2020, but since trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in 2020, the Rockets have consistently been among the NBA's worst teams.

With Silas as head coach, the Rockets went a collective 59-177 over three seasons, with their greatest success coming this season when they went just 22-60.

Despite their struggles, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the Rockets thanks to the young talent they have assembled.

There is clear star potential among 2021 No. 2 overall draft pick Jalen Green and 2022 No. 3 overall draft pick Jabari Smith Jr., plus Kevin Porter Jr. and Alperen Şengün have done some positive things as well.

Additionally, the Rockets are tied with the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs for the best odds to win the 2023 NBA draft lottery and earn the chance to select potential franchise-changing prospect Victor Wembanyama.

Nurse has shown a penchant for stepping in and making an immediate impact, and given the young core that has been assembled in Houston, he may be the perfect fit in terms of helping the Rockets take a big leap forward next season.