NBA Rumors: The Toronto Raptors have fired head coach Nick Nuse.
Heading into the offseason, the expectation was that big changes were on the horizon for the Toronto Raptors. And a little more than a week after they were officially eliminated from playoff contention in the Eastern Conference, it seems that the big changes have already begun for the Raptors.
The Raptors have made the first big move of the offseason in which they fired head coach Nick Nurse. There were whispers that things were potentially trending this way, but Toronto finally made the decisions final.
Nurse had a great run in Toronto, highlighted by winning the franchise’s first NBA Championship in history during the 2018-19 season. At least for now, it seems that Nurse will move on (and it appears that he’ll be looking for a new landing spot, and has already been linked to the Houston Rockets) and that the Raptors will be looking for a new voice to lead the locker room into what could end up being a new era of Toronto basketball.
What other big moves could be coming for the Toronto Raptors?
Now that this move has been made, you can’t help but wonder what could be coming next for the Raptors. When it comes to a possible new head coach, it has already been reported that Ime Udoka could be a strong candidate for the Raptors.
But aside from the team’s head-coaching changes, there could also be some major roster changes this offseason. Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. are two key players that will have the option to test free agency this summer and if they do end up doing that, there’s at least a non-zero chance that both could end up leaving Toronto. Both players should have a strong free-agent market this summer.
Aside from their possible in-house free agents that they’ll have to make a decision on, there are other big decisions that Toronto will need to make. And perhaps the biggest revolves around what to do with this roster.
Do they run it back next season, make subtle changes, or decide that this is a good time to either rebuild or completely retool?
It won’t be an easy decision to make but something that the Raptors need to make. And perhaps the decision of swapping head coaches is a foreshadowing of what is to come for the remainder of the offseason. This could just be the start of some big changes in Toronto.