The Toronto Raptors have interviewed Steve Nash as part of their search for a new head coach, according to The Athletic. It is not clear where Nash stands among the other candidates, nor when the Raptors will make a decision as they continue a wide-ranging search to find a replacement for Nick Nurse.
Nurse, who led the team to its first title in franchise history in 2019, was let go at the end of the season after the Raptors were eliminated from the play-in tournament. Over five seasons with the club he went 227-163 and took them to the playoffs three times. While he was successful overall, the vibes started to turn in recent years and it was obvious that the relationship had run its course.
When the team began looking for a new head coach late last month, ESPN reported that they would talk to candidates from the NBA, NCAA and WNBA world, and with vast arrays of experience. With the list of possible candidates reaching double digits, it's no surprise that Nash has gotten involved.
The Hall of Famer had a difficult tenure as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, but was also dealing with a constant barrage of distractions and injuries. If it wasn't for James Harden and Kyrie Irving going down in the 2021 playoffs, he might be a championship coach and that superteam would possibly still be together. Instead, everything unraveled from there, both on and off the court and he was fired a few weeks into this season.
Nash will almost certainly get another chance at some point and has the basketball acumen and personality to perhaps be successful in a less-volatile environment. In regards to the Raptors, specifically, he is a Canadian basketball legend and this job would offer him a chance to come back home. Of course, all of this is just hypothetical at this point.
In addition to finding a new head coach, the Raptors have some important items on their offseason agenda. They have the No. 13 overall pick in next month's draft, and will surely want to have a coach in place before that process truly ramps up. In terms of player movement, Jakob Poeltl is an unrestricted free agent, while Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. both have player options. Assuming both of the latter opt out and look for new deals, the Raptors will have some difficult decisions to make.
