NBA Rumors: Lakers Targeting This Coach To Replace Frank Vogel

The Los Angeles Lakers apparently have wasted no time thinking about life after Frank Vogel.

Vogel on Monday reportedly was fired by the Los Angeles Lakers, who finished the 2021-22 regular season 11th in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record. It was less than two years ago when Vogel, in his first season with Los Angeles, helped lead the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship in franchise history.

Although there’s a chance Vogel hasn’t even packed up his office in LA yet, the Lakers reportedly have a wish list of potential replacements on the bench. One name on said list is Nick Nurse, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Nurse currently is in his fourth season as Raptors head coach. Toronto reached the playoffs in two of Nurse’s first three seasons at the helm, including a run to the organization’s first championship in the 2018-19 campaign. The Raptors own the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff field this season and will match up with the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.

Bringing Nurse to Los Angeles wouldn’t be an effortless task for the Lakers. First and foremost, it’s anyone’s guess if Nurse is interested in coaching the Purple and Gold in wake of their dumpster fire season that was. The 54-year-old also is under contract with Toronto for the next two campaigns, so the Lakers would have to work out some kind of arrangement with the Raptors in order to pry him away.

What could be LA’s best hope of landing Nurse is if LeBron James expresses enough interest in him. King James has a pretty good track record of seeing his basketball wishes fulfilled.