When it comes to potential candidates to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, one name that hasn’t been talked about as much as others is Nick Nurse.
The current head coach of the Toronto Raptors has been mentioned by a few as a dream choice for the Purple and Gold, but an unrealistic one at that.
It has been reported that, if there was ever a chance of it happening, LeBron James and Anthony Davis would love to have Nurse as their next head coach.
But Nurse himself addressed such rumors, and from what he said, it appears he has no interest in joining the Lakers.
Via Lakers Daily:
“Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse quickly eliminated any thought of him being a possible candidate to take over the vacant head coaching position of the Los Angeles Lakers.”
Nick Nurse on reports of the Lakers' interest in him: "I don't know where that stuff comes from and I'm focused on coaching this team."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 2, 2022
Nurse has been at the helm in Toronto since the 2018-19 season. That year, he was gifted superstar Kawhi Leonard, and together, they helped the Raptors win the NBA championship.
Now, in year three of a rebuilding process after Leonard bolted to the Los Angeles Clippers, Nurse guided the Raptors to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, despite naysayers predicting they wouldn’t make the playoffs.
ESPN’s Eastern Conference Projections:
Nets: 58-24
Bucks: 57-25
76ers: 50-32
Heat: 49-33
Hawks: 47-35
Celtics: 45-37
Knicks: 44-38
Hornets: 40-42
Bulls: 40-42
Pacers: 40-42— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) September 14, 2021
He is still under contract with Toronto, which means that even if he would be interested in the Lakers’ coaching job, they would have to compensate Toronto.
Given the Lakers’ scarcity of future draft picks and their reported reluctance to give up the ones they have, Nurse becoming their next head coach seems about as unlikely as a snowstorm hitting L.A. next January.
