NBA Rumors: Nick Nurse Likely to Get HC Offer amid 76ers, Bucks, Suns Interest

Nick Nurse is expected to be a candidate for the head coaching openings with the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

"Monty Williams is only a candidate for two of them, Mike Budenholzer is only a candidate for two of them, but Nurse is a candidate in all three places," he reported on ESPN's NBA Countdown on Thursday night. "... Among this pack of coaches, I think the one you can be pretty confident with that's going to get at least one offer in this process is Nurse."

The Toronto Raptors fired the 55-year-old Nurse in April after the team went just 41-41 and qualified for the play-in tournament before losing to the Chicago Bulls, ending their season.

"To watch us play this year was not us," Ujiri told reporters at the time. "I did not enjoy watching this team play. I think that spoke loud and clear to everything that went on this year. It bothered all of us. It bothered coach, too. But sometimes we have to make change and we have to move forward."

Nurse, who spent five seasons under Dwane Casey as an assistant coach, took over as head coach in the 2018-19 season and led Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors to a title.

He was 227-161 overall in his five seasons as head coach, leading the team to three playoff appearances, and was the 2019-20 Coach of the Year after the Raptors went 53-19 despite Leonard's departure the summer prior in free agency.

Now he's one of the top coaching candidates on the market, joining veteran options like Budenholzer, Williams, Doc Rivers, Frank Vogel and Mike D'Antoni, among others.

A number of teams decided to change course this offseason, with the Raptors, Sixers, Bucks, Suns, Detroit Pisons and Houston Rockets—they've since hired Ime Udoka—moving on from their previous head coach.

"It's disturbing," Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "... There's only so many teams that can advance. It's just a really hard thing to do. Yeah, it's been a tough couple weeks, hearing the news of just some really surprising firings."

"I understand this business," Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone added. "You look around the coaching landscape, if you want a secure profession, coaching is not the one to get into. I should have been a TV reporter."