76ers coach Doc Rivers. Jazz coach Quin Snyder.
The Lakers, who are firing Frank Vogel, have been linked to yet another sitting NBA head coach.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
This is exactly how the Lakers should use their financial, prestige and market advantages. Nurse is one of the NBA’s best coaches. The Lakers shouldn’t settle for less until pursuing coaches like him.
That said, I’m skeptical Los Angeles will lure him.
Nurse works for a much-better-functioning franchise. Though LeBron James and Anthony Davis offer a high ceiling, the Raptors were significantly better and younger than the Lakers this season. Nurse reportedly earns $8 million annually – one of the NBA’s highest coaching salaries.
The Lakers hired Vogel only after going cheap with Tyronn Lue. When extending Vogel’s contract last offseason, the Lakers added just one year to his deal.
Even if the Lakers offer enough money to entice Nurse, he’s under contract with Toronto. The Lakers will have only two first-round picks available to offer as compensation this offseason. If using even one of those picks to get Nurse rather than upgrade a flawed roster before LeBron’s prime ends, that’d make the coaching job even less appealing.
