The Raptors have signed head coach Nick Nurse to a multiyear contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. Nurse’s three-year deal with the club had been set to expire in 2021.
“Our confidence in Nick just continues to grow, and part of that comes from what we’ve experienced together. The past two seasons have been unlike any other in our team’s history – first, winning our championship, and then navigating a global pandemic and committing long-term to the fight against racism and for social justice,” Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “Nick has proved that he can coach on the court and lead in life, and we’re looking forward to accomplishing great things in the future.”
Previously an assistant coach on the Raptors’ staff under Dwane Casey, Nurse was promoted following the 2017/18 season and has enjoyed a near-perfect two-year run in his first stint as an NBA head coach. He has an 111-43 (.721) regular season record and a 23-12 (.657) postseason mark during that stretch, winning the franchise’s first-ever title in 2019 and earning Coach of the Year honors in 2020.
While the Raptors’ playoff run this summer ended in the second round with a Game 7 loss to the Celtics, Nurse earned praise all season long for leading Toronto to a No. 2 seed in the East despite losing Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and dealing with a bevy of injuries to his starters and rotation players.
The terms of Nurse’s new contract aren’t yet known, but a multiyear extension means the team has added at least two seasons to the one year left on his initial deal, locking him up through at least 2023.
It’s also probably safe to assume that Nurse received a raise on his new contract. When he was promoted to replace Casey in 2018, his three-year deal was said to be worth less than $10MM in total.
Nurse is one of several key figures within the organization who was in line for an extension this offseason. President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster each have one year left on their respective contracts, and the club figures to pursue new deals with both executives very soon. Meanwhile, Fred VanVleet, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka are all on track for unrestricted free agency, while OG Anunoby is becoming extension-eligible for the first time.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Well deserved! Nurse is HANDS DOWN the best coach in the NBA right now.
Nurse is without a doubt one of the best coaches in the league…but hands down the best? Doubtful. He is not leagues above everyone else. He is objectively one of the best, but you can make arguments for several others. A second round exit as a top seed, not hands down the best. Remarkable what he has done this season, for sure. But you can say the same about Rick Carlisle and Mike Malone and Brad Stevens and Taylor Jenkins and Billy Donovan. Pop is still an elite coach. Kerr has multiple rings, Rivers’ teams are perennial playoff performers. Let’s just agree that he is deserving of the extension and his future is bright. He isn’t the apex coach yet
Billy Donovan is not currently an NBA coach
Ok, you got me on that one
The size of this guy’s brain is equaled only by the size of his mouth, especially when it comes to hassling the refs.
Sooooo true …
In recent games he often seemed to turn sharply & angrily to the AC area to shout something.
I don’t think he was so demonstrative in the past, maybe that was just for the Celtics.
In the larger picture he is fighting the popular idea that the Raptors should pause a little in their efforts with their reduced level of talent.