Once the Lakers officially dismiss head coach Frank Vogel, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is expected to be one of the team’s top targets, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Lakers are hoping that Nurse is an option, according to Charania, who acknowledges that it’s unclear whether Nurse “will be attainable or whether he would have interest.”
In order to even talk to Nurse, the Lakers would have to get permission from the Raptors, since the former Coach of the Year remains under contract in Toronto for two more years. Nurse would then have to be interested in leaving a stable, well-run organization for one that was mired in dysfunction this season. And the Lakers would likely have to be willing to give up substantial draft compensation to acquire Nurse from the Raptors.
Given all of those obstacles, I’d be shocked if Nurse emerged as a realistic candidate for the Lakers’ job, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. As one Eastern Conference executive observed to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, Nurse is represented by Andy Miller at Klutch Sports, the same agency that reps LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“I would expect the Lakers to at least ask about Nick Nurse,” the executive told Deveney. “… He got the big contract with the Raptors and he is secure there. They’re not going to let him go. But it makes him look better and Klutch look better if they are asking for him, right? So yeah, I would not be surprised to see the Lakers ask about him but more as a favor to Klutch. Maybe they won’t because he is so far out of reach. But, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, that is how things work.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Anthony Davis said on Sunday that he still believes a roster built around him and LeBron James can contend for a title moving forward, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. “I think us two can. We’ve shown that we can,” Davis said.
- While James and Davis are widely expected to remain in Los Angeles going forward, Russell Westbrook‘s future is cloudier. According to Charania, rival executives believe the Pacers will be open to discussing trades involving Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield and could emerge as a Westbrook suitor, which is something Marc Stein suggested over the weekend. While Brogdon and Hield would be good fits on the Lakers’ roster, L.A. would likely have to attach sweeteners to Westbrook to realistically make any deal with Indiana.
- James told reporters today that an MRI on his left ankle showed that he won’t require surgery or any injections, but he’ll have to stay off of it for the next four-to-six weeks (Twitter link via Mark Medina of NBA.com). LeBron also said that he and the Lakers could have extension discussions later this offseason once CBA rules allow for it (Twitter link via McMenamin). James will become extension-eligible in August.
- Asked about potential roster moves and the possibility of playing with Westbrook next season, James said he’ll defer to the front office. “I’m not here to make decisions for the front office and that nature,” he said (Twitter links). “But I loved being teammates with Russ.”
- Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com spoke to multiple league sources about the Lakers’ disappointing season and the perception that head coach Frank Vogel was being undermined. “On a regular basis, (Kurt) Rambis would get on Vogel in front of staff and players — in practices, in the hallway where everybody can see it. He wasn’t taking it behind closed doors and laying it out,” one source said. “And what position does Rambis have? What’s his title? His title is friend of Jeanie Buss. Trust me, Frank Vogel would have been happy to have been fired from that mess.”
- Addressing Vogel’s firing, Bill Oram of The Athletic contends that the way the news leaked – before the team formally informed Vogel – should be a warning sign for potential replacements.
- Asked about his priorities in free agency this offseason, Carmelo Anthony said he’d like to win a championship, but also wants to be somewhere he’ll be happy. “If I gotta be unhappy to try to go fight and win a championship, I don’t want that. I don’t want that unhappiness,” he said, per McMenamin (Twitter link). “… I think at this point in my carer, it’s about just being happy and being able to wake up and come to work every day with a good attitude. Being positive.”
Nick Nurse is also under contract to coach the Canada men’s national team through the 2024 Olympics. Canada Basketball will not look too highly on the Lakers trying to poach Nurse.
Nurse not going anywhere. This is clearly a play by his agent to increase their leverage & get more $/yrs out of Toronto when they renegotiate this summer
I never knew that anyone has ever cared about Canada Basketball or will ever care about it… but many thanks for letting us know that you do!
“…Carmelo Anthony said he’d like to win another championship, but also wants to be somewhere he’ll be happy.”
Can someone remind me in which universe did he already win a first championship?
Syracuse 03, Beijing 08, London 12
@Sankara if you going to count the Olympics you left off Rio de Janeiro 2016
He won a championship in New Orleans in March 2003.
Reading is fundamental. Please tell me where it says “another championship”?
It did say this for a few minutes after it was originally published.
Exactly
I posted this on a different thread but I’ll post it here too.
Who would trade for Westbrook? A team that wants salary relief. That’s what Westbrook offers in one year time: salary relief.
Lakers need some guard depth and shooting.
Here’s my trade:
Lakers receive: Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, and Kelly Olynyk.
Knicks get: Westbrook
Pistons get: Kemba Walker
Knicks and pistons get salary relief sooner.
Lakers get depth and better shooting than Westbrook offers.
“Knicks get Westbrick”. No just no. No one is bailing the Lakers out of that albatross.
My thinking is by doing this, the Knicks save 32 million dollars in 23/24.
My thinking is no one prolongs the problem by taking those guys.
Not bad, i mean… that’s beter than RW for LAL, and yes they get more shooting but they will be bad defensively.
I tohught that RW was hurting them more on the defensive end than on offense.
If the reports that were thrown out there are true, about RW not respecting Vogel and being an a-hole, that might be true considering his post games comments all season long, i think RW is done in the league. I can’t see any team playing him at all.
The pistons don’t want salary relief from Olynyks deal. He has value on the team or in a trade. Detroit says no.
Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield for Westbrook rumors
Both Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield are top 10 shooters in the nba.
Brogdon 40, 50 and 90
Do you remember?
Lakers would definitely take the trade since Lakers future draft picks are not available.
Lakers need future. Pacers need superstars or all time great to sell the tickets.
Go Lakers!
Sham Charania rumors
I have zero doubt LA would. Why would Indiana? The Lakers have limited options, which Indiana would be smart to exploit for draft picks
No one is saving your trash franchise from the Westbrook debacle.
The Lakers are a dumpster fire.
Imagine letting a guy (Rambis) who absolutely stunk as a coach dress down a decent HC.
Jeanie needs to completely clean house, starting with Rambis and Pelinka. Westbrick needs to be dumped at all costs. They probably also need to trade AD, unless they believe either LeBron or AD can give them 70 games next year.
How does Rambis dress down Vogel anyway. He should be told to fk off!— in the same public environment.
Same thing Pelinka should tell James.
But people do what they do, why is it such an issue. Buss is not going to clean house when it is what she wanted.
Rank these former Laker forwards Cedric Ceballos, Kyle Kuzma, Rick Fox, Trevor Ariza & AC Green…
Just based on their Lakers tenure, or overall career?
Overall career
1. AC Green
2. Rick Fox
3. Trevor Ariza
It’s tougher from there. I’m torn on who to put 4th because Kuzma did win a title in LA, but his career is young. I’ll go Ceballos 4th & Kuzma 5th
I highly doubt you will get a concensus on this list, especially considering they all combine to cover such a wide timeline..I’d also like to add Lamar Odom to that list as well, and see where he ranks..
I would have:
Lamar Odom
Cedric Ceballos
Kyle Kuzma
AC Green
Trevor Ariza
Rick Fox
Fox’s career gets built up alot by more of his “star status” rather than actually how good of a player he was. I mean, dint get me wrong, we was a decent role player for a contender, but he was really never more than that.
He was never the defensive stopper that Ariza has been, along with being a solid depth scoring option. He definitely wasn’t as versatile as Kuzma as a scorer, playmaker, or as a versatile defender and rebounder…And Lamar Odom was and probably still is Kyle Kuzma’s ultimate ceiling if he can get there and stay there…
Also, some people forget just how good Cedric Ceballos was at some points in his career before dealing with some injuries he tried to play through…
So why get Russ if you don’t want him to play like Russ? That was a beyond stupid trade if you wanted to change him.
Again with Teams always trying to bail out the Lakers. why would Pacers even do that trade. Westbrick would stunt Haliburtons growth as playmaker
Because Lakers fans are the most entitled people on Earth. They just assume that you will trade them whomever they want, because they’re the Lakers
The idea is to not play RW, he wont hurt Haliburtons growth at all. RW contract at this point has only value as a salary relief asset. Buddy is playing kinda bad in Indy and Malcom is a good player but is having injury problems too often to rely on. It seems that IND is pressing the reset button, RW will save them money and give them flexibility in the future.
Of course they can get better offers than RW, IMO, but it doesn’t sounds too crazy this trade. Still i think IND will probably say no.
Brogdan and Heild for Russ, the 2027 first and THT/Nunn (if they want either)..
It would be a fantastic deal for the Lakers.
Although I think LeBron is better off moving to point guard full time getting in two quality shooters on reasonable deals would be a huge win for the Lakers.
I like Melo’s thinking here, at his age with all he has achieved, which is a lot, in this league, winning would be nice, but must always be secondary or lower… top priority is always happiness!
What is the point to be in a dreadful situation just to have a shot at winning, when you can be in a great situation even if you can’t win!
Happiness>>>>> always trumps winning!
NO contender wants Melo. Time to retire into Happiness.
You’d be surprised, how many cap strapped teams wouldn’t mind giving Melo a solid 15-20min a game to run and score with their second unit…
Especially if you pair him with a defensive minded 5, Melo still has a place in today’s NBA where he can give you a constant and efficient 12ppg off the bench..
Cant believe I just said efficient and Meko in the same sentence, but that’s what he has done to really extend his career, and he’s done a great job at it..