The Lakers are set to dump the coach who led them to an NBA championship just two seasons ago. They’re hoping to replace him with the man who won the year prior.
According to The Athletic, Raptors coach Nick Nurse is one of the Lakers’ top targets once they officially fire Frank Vogel, who said after Sunday’s season finale that he hadn’t “been told s–t.” That came after ESPN reported Vogel was going to be let go.
University of Michigan coach and former NBA All-Star Juwan Howard is also expected to be a candidate, according to the report.
Nurse, 54, led the Raptors to the franchise’s first NBA championship in 2018-19, Kawhi Leonard’s lone season in Toronto. Despite losing Kyle Lowry last summer, the Raptors went 48-34 this season and earned the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, with a first-round NBA playoff matchup against the 76ers on the horizon.
Nick NurseGetty Images
Frank VogelNBAE via Getty Images
It’s not clear whether the Raptors would allow Nurse to go or if he’d have interest, according to The Athletic, but if he does Los Angeles would probably have to compensate Toronto in a trade.
The Lakers (33-49) missed the playoffs, not even qualifying for the play-in tournament, in a season with championship expectations following the offseason acquisition of Russell Westbrook. But between Westbrook’s offensive struggles and injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ season went off the rails.