When the news broke that the Milwaukee Bucks were hiring Adrian Griffin as their new coach, part of that was a report that Nick Nurse withdrew from consideration For the job. It looked like a bit of a chicken and egg – did he pull out because he realized he wouldn’t get the job?
Either way, he’s interested in the Philadelphia 76ers and is notably working with Daryl Morey again, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inqurier. Morey was the Rockets’ general manager when Nurse coached their G-League team, the Rio Grand Valley Vipers.
Sources said the reunion with Morey is very attractive for Nurse…
A source confirmed that Nurse withdrew from his candidacy for the position of head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, which led to the team hiring his former Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin on Saturday. Nurse interviewed the Sixers on Monday before meeting the Suns on Thursday. The 55-year-old coach is considering the best destination for him, sources say. However, a source did not say if the Sixers offered him the gig.
Nurse makes intuitive sense for the 76ers or the Suns, an out-of-the-box coach who won a championship four years ago against title-seeking teams next season and beyond. His bond with Morey made some in the league think it would be his ultimate destination from day one.
However, the stars of those teams will have a say, like Giannis Antetokounmpo did in the Bucks hiring Griffin (a former player, something Antetokounmpo reportedly prioritized). What does Joel Embiid think of Nurse? What about Kevin Durant and Devin Booker? Marc Stein reported that Booker endorsed Suns assistant Kevin Young for the job.
Both teams are reportedly close to deciding their next head coach, but for the teams in contention who need to hire well, they don’t want to be pushed around.
Here’s more on the 76ers
Coaching carousel update: Nick Nurse has strong, not universal, support in… PBT podcast: Nuggets advance, LeBron talks retirement, coaching carousel Coaching carousel updates: Nurse, Atkinson, Griffin final three for bucks
Nick Nurse was reportedly enamored with the idea of working with Morey again with the 76ers originally appeared on NBCSports.com