Nick Nurse won’t be returning to the Raptors next season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is parting ways with its head coach.
A Raptors assistant under Dwane Casey beginning in 2013, Nurse was promoted to be Casey’s replacement in 2018 and has spent the last five seasons in that role. His NBA head coaching career got off to a fast start, as he led Toronto to its first-ever championship in 2019, then earned Coach of the Year honors in 2020.
Since 2020, however, Nurse’s Raptors have been up and down, winning just 27 games while playing their home games in Tampa in 2020/21 and then finishing with a disappointing .500 regular season record in ’22/23 before being eliminated in their first play-in game. Toronto won 48 games in ’21/22, but was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
In total, Nurse had a 227-163 (.582) regular season record and a 25-16 (.610) playoff mark as the Raptors’ head coach.
While Nurse was a strong tactician and was willing to experiment with unique ideas and strategies, some key relationships with players, coaches, and management became strained during the 2022/23 season, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. After rumors about his future began to swirl in March, Nurse directly addressed those reports and provided no assurances about his long-term commitment to Toronto, telling reporters that he’d evaluate his future after the season.
Nurse’s contract had one more year left on it, but there was a belief that even if the Raptors wanted to bring him back, he wouldn’t be comfortable returning without an extension. He and president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri met multiple times after the team’s season ended last week to discuss possible paths forward, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Those conversations presumably made it clear to the team that a breakup was in its best interest.
According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), the lack of development for bench players, overly taxing workloads for starters, and a desire for more structure and accountability were factors the Raptors considered in dismissing Nurse.
Ujiri will hold a media session later on Friday, where he’ll certainly be asked to discuss management’s thinking in more detail. For now, he has issued a statement in a press release confirming the decision to seek a new head coach — the Raptors framed the move as Nurse having been “relieved of his duties.”
“The decision to make a change like this is never arrived at easily or taken lightly, especially when it comes to a person who has been an integral part of this franchise’s most historic accomplishments, and who has been a steady leader through some of our team’s most challenging times,” Ujiri said. “As we reflect on Nick’s many successes, we thank him and his family, and wish them the best in future. This is an opportunity for us to reset, to refocus, to put into place the personnel and the players who will help us reach our goal of winning our next championship.”
As previously reported, former Celtics coach Ime Udoka is expected to receive serious consideration from the Raptors as Nurse’s replacement, tweets Wojnarowski. Udoka led Boston to the NBA Finals in his first year as head coach in 2021/22, but was suspended and then let go after reportedly having an extramarital affair with a member of the organization.
Hiring a new head coach will be just one important part of a busy offseason for Ujiri and the Raptors, who will likely have Jakob Poeltl, Fred VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr. heading to unrestricted free agency.
Meanwhile, despite no longer coaching Canada’s only NBA club, Nurse will continue to lead the country’s national team through at least the 2024 Olympics, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca.
As for Nurse’s next NBA job, Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter) that he’s expected to become a “prominent” candidate in the Rockets‘ head coaching search, which has also been previously reported.
Rockets on Line 1…
If they bring FVV back, make him a player/coach.
L move by Raptors. Welcome back to mediocrity.
Fully disagree
We’ve been below mediocrity in 2 of the last 3 seasons. This team needs to rebuild anyways, teams like Det, INDY and Orl are going to be better than us in a year or two and we’re at best a play-in team now. It’s time to trade the assets and build a new foundation, otherwise we’re going to be on the Wizards level.
Ujiri clearly doesn’t want to rebuild if he is hiring udoka…
Not necessarily, Udoka’s only been a head coach for one year in the NBA and is blacklisted by 26 teams.
Great move! The most overrated coach in the league. Finally gone long overdue the Raptors can have hope again on whoever the next coach is.
LOL
Be careful what you wish for. I think most fans outside of Toronto would say the Raptors have OVERACHIEVED with Nurse as their head coach…
Their roster is basically a bunch of gritty role players that were having their potential maximized, a promising young player in Barnes, and then a greta talent in Siakam, but who has also missed 10, 15, and 25 games the last three seasons. Which, isn’t a whole bunch, but it is noteworthy..
They will hire udoka & sign primo later this summer(you heard it here first).
Primo will be back on a team for sure
Primo is from Toronto and people in Canada are cool with guys routinely flashing their junk. So, yeah, the Raptors make sense for him. :)
Raptors to limit their search for a new Head Coach to candidates who either have PHD’s or are MDs. The only way to upgrade from a Nurse is to bring in a Doctor !!
…you just cursed them to bringing in Doc Rivers.
Bad move by the Raptors
Nurse top 5 coach in this league. You didn’t give him the players.
Trade some players, get actual 3pt shooting on this team
I understand nurse didn’t have a superstar but the whole “he didn’t have the players” is such a BS narrative. If they would haven gotten bounced(5-6 games) in the first round. Then I would agree it is on the players , but to not even make the playoffs, That’s on nurse.
It’s a bit of both. FVV shooting less than 40% from the field and the general inefficiency of Barnes, Siakam, and Trent can’t be blamed solely on Nurse. The lack of a quality backup PG is entirely on the front office. As is the lack of a full-time Center until they got Poeltel. But Nurse could have done a much better job with the offensive sets. The defense was great, but the offense being stagnant was a problem for the whole year and it never got fixed.
Also needs to do a better job utilizing and developing the bench. Granted, it was pretty barren at times during his tenure but running starters into the ground, particularly those nearing or beyond 30, isn’t a recipe for playoff success. Maybe a younger roster would better suit him in that regard.
(Apparently, Masai agrees with my above comment, as he referenced it in his end-of-season presser.)
Good coach, but feels like their roster needs a change of pace for a while now
Feel the same way. One of those rarer situations where I think the team made the right move in letting the head coach go, but still think he has a bright future in the league.
We shall see what Toronto does. Can’t pay everyone.
This is a perfect example of why bad franchises stay bad… they are overly reactionary and don’t know when they have a good thing. The Magic fired Doc Rivers… The Cavs fired Mike Brown (twice lol).. The Nets chose names like Nash and Kidd over real coaches… etc etc…. if your team see’s a slight hitch in the road, and blows it all up.. it might just be them, not the coach. Nick Nurse won COY for a reason… the Raptors made a series of bad roster moves that made it hard to compete.. so it’s somehow Nurse’s fault and he paid for it with his job. Quote me now.. he will win COY for another team in the near future.
Ah yes, the bad franchise that won a championship a few years ago and consistently made the playoffs for a decade.
You won a title because a player who didn’t even want to be there carried you. Every franchise player you’ve ever had (McGrady, Carter, Bosh, Kawhi, Lowry, and now Siakam and VanVleet) left you the moment they could. Think hard on that brother.
Bad franchises? .611 winning percentage over ast decade second to the dynasty of GSW. President who is sought after by the whole league. Ownership with deeper pockets than 95% of the league. Fan base that make Toronto one of the hardest places to play and 7+ million city. And one of the few teams who had continuity for a decade. The Raptors haven’t made bad roster moves. Unlike most of the league, they developed most of their starters. 4 of their 5 starters are their own developed product. When you develop very good players, you have to pay them. And unfortunately when you always compete you don’t get the top pick in the draft. So please spare me the generic “I’ve watched a few Raptors games so I know their bad organization ” nonsense. and if you’re an actual fan, I recommend a broader look before a generic knee jerk reaction. Nurse is a good coach who is out of tricks.
lol everyone leaves every franchise. Vince and Tmac left because Raptors were really an infant franchise and they themselves were young and not fully mature in decision making. Both left to never winning a chip. Go figure.
Kawhi wanted LA for the year before he got traded
Bosh tried a super team and won two chips. Can’t blame the man for wanting to live in Miami?
Lowry was in Toronto for a decade and look at the disaster of a contract he is now. please spare me.
Last checked, both FVV and Siakam are under contract and lifers in Toronto.
Haters gonna hate. Whatever team you cheer for almost certainly doesn’t have a sparkling record.
Vanvleets next
idk man the comments are all just assuming the Raptors canned him and Nurse didn’t want out
Nurse is a good coach. But its seemed clear for awhile that he was frustrated by the roster Ujiri constructed. Nurse isn’t the only one that isn’t crazy about TOR’s roster construction, but he’s the only one that’s had to coach it. Doesn’t matter who’s right, if Ujiri wants to keep the roster the way it is, then a parting of the ways makes sense. Nurse can coach another team; he should have plenty offers if and when he wants to coach again.
Blazers should part ways with Billups and hire Nurse ASAP
Dumb move by Toronto. He was your coach during your only championship season. Plus Leonard is their most important player ever not Lowry
Wishing coach Nurse the best. An apparently good man, and a very good coach. Just not the right coach for the Raptira at this time. Good luck coach!!!
There another of comments around kawhi Leonard being the only reason Toronto won a championship… yes, he was their star, however they had a solid team that year. It takes a team to win.
Yeah ignore the BS comments. Raps were loaded with talent that year, Lowry was in better health, Siakam was rocking, Gasol brought the experience at the center… Norm Powell and FVV on the bench
You would be just as good as a franchise as Minnesota if not for Leonard. Maybe if Leonard wasn’t there you could ask V Carter to come out of retirement to start and maybe yes like you said you were loaded that year. Maybe you could of won….. Lol
Udoka …..
As a Raps fan, I really don’t like this move. Nurse has proven he can maximize the talent he has and he has not been given the talent anywhere near the Raps’ sole championship season.
The Raps have severely lacked bench depth these past few seasons, especially at PG and C. Raw deal for Nurse. He deserved a shot with a championship calibre roster. Management should’ve accommodated him the opportunity instead of using him as a scapegoat.
This team is missing a true #1 option on their roster and that’s the main issue. Management has to do their part.
While I agree with you mostly, He can’t keep guys accountable and hasn’t maximized talent last 3 years
I still think Nurse is a top 5 coach in the league, and raps didn’t provide him the pieces he needs to run the team to success. But I also trust Ujiri. Either case the dream would be Dame and another star (someone like Kawhi) coached by Nurse here in Portland and making a run for his 2nd title (I know it’s just a dream lol)
nurse is a screamer and micro Manages… not creative on offense or defense… i doubt he will land another head coaching job. ,,,no sense of humor…
Nurse was good, but he annoyed the hell out of everyone with his never-ending whining and his antics.
No doubt that Udoka will be the new head coach.
This was needed as Nurse underachieved yet again. Raptors lineup is really talented but they give up way too many points per game considering the individual defensive talents they have. Seemed like Nurse couldn’t get this core to gel.
I don’t understand much of the spin coming out about this.
He apparently doesn’t hold players accountable… but he’s lost the dressing room?
In this case, what is “the dressing room”?
This whole thing smacks to me of players and the front office realizing they’re not as good as they think they are and taking it out on Nurse.