Now that the Toronto Raptors have officially fired head coach Dwane Casey, we’re going to hear a lot of rumors about who might replace him on the bench up north.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, former Atlanta Hawks head coach and NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer is now a prime candidate to fill that vacancy.
Budenholzer, 48, was fired by Atlanta following a 2017-18 campaign that saw the team post a disastrous 24-58 record. Prior to that, he led the Hawks to four consecutive playoff appearances, including a 60-win season back in 2014-15.
If he were hired by Toronto, Budenholzer would be taking over a squad that won a franchise record 59 games this past regular season only to flame out in the conference semifinals by virtue of a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.