Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash has reportedly met with the Toronto Raptors about their head coach opening, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Joe Vardon.
After the organization lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first stage of the Play-In Tournament, they decided to move on from Nurse. The long-time assistant took over the Toronto job after the removal of Dwane Casey, leading the franchise to its first-ever championship in 2018-19. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported after Nurse’s firing that the front office’s search would be “broad in scope.” And that has apparently now led them to speak with Nash – whose time in Brooklyn was shrouded in chaos.
Nash stepped into the Nets’ head coaching gig with no prior experience. He spent two full seasons with the organization before the sides decided to part ways after a 2-5 start earlier this year. Kevin Durant also reportedly asked for his dismissal during the offseason, seemingly numbering his days left in Brooklyn. Nash held a 58.4 percent win percentage during his 161 games as the leading man.
A Canadian superstar, Nash would likely be a hometown favorite if the Raptors extended him the offer. Whether or not he’s best suited for the position, however, is a fair question. Exactly how effective he can be as a head coach was extremely unclear during his time in Brooklyn. As impressive as the win percentage was, the team vastly underachieved when we consider the talent on the roster. At the same time, that environment seemed too toxic for any head coach to thrive.
Anyway, we have yet to hear whether or not the Raptors have entered the final stages of their process. They still have plenty of offseason ahead, so it might be a while before we know if Nash has made the short list of candidates.
As for the Bucks, they’re almost ready to make a decision …