The Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Finals which marked the first championship in the organization’s short history. Led by rookie head coach Nick Nurse, Toronto took down an injury-plagued Golden State Warriors team in six games.
Nurse looked like a superstar head coach in the making with Kawhi Leonard by his side. Unfortunately, Leonard would leave for the Los Angeles Clippers that offseason and the Raptors never reached the NBA Finals again.
Fast forward four years and Nurse is now out as head coach of the Raptors. There is no official head coach for the 2023-24 season at this time; however, one former NBA player has shockingly been linked to Toronto.
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Toronto Raptors linked to this former NBA player as head coaching search continues
Nurse is not the only notable head coach to lose their job after the 2022-23 season. Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer was fired following the team’s shocking first-round loss to the Miami Heat in five games.
The Houston Rockets didn’t bring back Stephen Silas and they turned that vacancy into Ime Udoka. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons continue their search for a new head coach as former Raptors coach Dwane Casey moved to the front office.
The Raptors have been connected to several coaches throughout the process, such as Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, Bucks assistant coach Charles Lee, and Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn. However, none of these names are as shocking as this one.
According to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, the Raptors have looked into the possibility of former NBA player and current podcaster J.J. Redick being the team’s next head coach. This is surprising as Redick has not coached since retiring from the NBA.
It would feel similar to a move made a few years ago. The Brooklyn Nets shockingly hired former NBA player Steve Nash and it didn’t end up going well as the team decided to fire him early in the 2022-23 season.
The idea of making Redick the next head coach seems weird on the surface but Toronto has seen success with previous head coaches. Both Casey and Nurse have done well so maybe the team has an eye for head coaching talent.
Either way, it will be interesting to see this situation play out and whether Redick receives any serious consideration. If not, it simply means that it wasn’t up to the Raptors’ standards and that is a good thing since this hire is very important.