Another team reportedly has a head-coaching vacancy and is interested in bringing in former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka.
The Raptors parted ways with Nick Nurse on Friday after five seasons, according to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and Nurse met several times after Toronto lost its play-in game against the Chicago Bulls, but the sides felt a break-up was necessary, according to Wojnarowski. Nurse had one year and over $8 million left on his deal.
Nurse becomes a candidate for the Rockets job, and Udoka is a “serious candidate” to replace Nurse in Toronto, according to Wojnarowski — Udoka also reportedly is being sought after by Houston and the Detroit Pistons.
Udoka was issued a season-long suspension by the Celtics prior to the 2022-23 NBA season due to violation of team policies, which included an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member and inappropriate comments toward another female staffer. The 45-year-old’s tenure in Boston officially came to an end when Joe Mazzulla was promoted to head coach.
The Nets reportedly had interest in Udoka when they parted ways with Steve Nash in November, but female leaders of the organization reportedly swayed governor Joe Tsai to not pursue the former Brooklyn assistant. The Atlanta Hawks also reportedly had interest in Udoka before hiring Quin Snyder in February.
Jaylen Brown and other Celtics players remain on Udoka’s side and believe he is deserving of a second chance, and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich also voiced his support for his former assistant.
The Raptors had a middling 41-41 season and have aspirations to regain their championship form from the 2018-19 season. They have a young roster with players like Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby. Jakob Poeltl was coached by Udoka when he was an assistant with the Spurs, so there is some familiarity within the roster.
The interest in Udoka remains high in the NBA, so it’s only a matter of time before he gets another head-coaching job.
