Report: NBA Champion Coach Under Fire With Team After Comments Questioning Future
After losing to the Bulls in the play-in tournament on Wednesday night, the Raptors season is over. As Toronto turns to the offseason, they may have to fix some friction between two of the biggest positions on the team.
Earlier this month, coach Nick Nurse acknowledged to the media that he would need to think about his future with the team after the season. That may include potentially exploring head coaching opportunities elsewhere.
“First of all, I think when this season gets done, we’ll evaluate everything, and even personally, I’m going to take a few weeks to see where I’m at, you know?” Nurse said at the time, via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “Like you said, where my head’s at. And just see how the relationship with the organization is and everything.”
Apparently, that did not go over will with the front office. TSN insider Josh Lewenberg reports that Raptors executives did not appreciate Nurse’s comments about his future.
Nurse reportedly has one year remaining on his contract, but that doesn’t mean he will definitely be with the team next year. The veteran coach has spent 10 years in Toronto, five as an assistant then another five as head coach, and he helped lead the Raptors to their first ever NBA championship in 2019.
Nurse has been linked to the recently-opened Rockets vacancy if he does decide to move on. As Raptors coach, Nurse has a 227–163 record, which includes three winning seasons and four years with at least 40 wins.