Reports: Toronto fires head coach Nick Nurse, who will interview with Rockets

The top tier of the ongoing Houston Rockets head coaching search could now have three names, now that Toronto has made the decision to fire longtime head coach Nick Nurse.

The news leaked out Friday morning, perhaps not coincidentally within 48 hours of the Rockets interviewing former Boston head coach Ime Udoka for their vacancy. The Raptors have long been whispered as a potential Udoka suitor, themselves, but they could not pursue him as long as Nurse was under contract as their head coach.

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Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:

Masai Ujiri and Nurse met several times since the end of the season to discuss how they might move forward together, but a breakup felt inevitable. Nurse had one year and $8-million-plus left on his deal, sources said.

Nurse will immediately become a prominent candidate in the Houston Rockets’ coaching search, sources tell ESPN. He won the 2019 NBA title as Raptors coach, and was voted the 2020 NBA Coach of the Year.

Nurse appears likely to join Udoka and former Lakers, Pacers, and Magic head coach Frank Vogel as names at or near the top of Houston’s list. All three men are known best for their defensive oriented approach. With multiple teams interested, it is not yet clear whether Udoka’s preference would be Houston or Toronto.

The timetable of Nurse’s looming interview with the Rockets was not immediately made clear, but it should come relatively soon. The 55-year-old does have some past ties to the organization, since he previously worked as head coach of Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, from 2011 through 2013.

Nurse will immediately become a prominent candidate in the Houston Rockets’ coaching search, sources tell ESPN. He won the 2019 NBA title as Raptors coach, and was voted the 2020 NBA Coach of the Year.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 21, 2023