76ers’ Timeline Could Hurt Chances of Landing Nick Nurse

Following another disappointing exit from the second round of the NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers decided to make a significant change as they went into the offseason. After three seasons, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers was removed.

At that point, the Sixers joined four other NBA teams in the market for a new head coach. Shortly after Rivers was forced to move on, the Sixers targeted six candidates.

Two days after Philadelphia moved on from Rivers, the Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations addressed the upcoming head coach search, mentioning that it wouldn’t be a rushed process.

“We’re taking a careful process with the coach,” said Morey. “We do not think it’ll move quickly.”

Morey also went on to confirm that the six candidates linked to Philadelphia were certainly on their radar.

The Sixers have an interest in former Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams, former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, former Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, current Sixers assistant Sam Cassell, and former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.

“It is true, we’re going to look at all of the candidates, we’re already very encouraged by the candidates that have reached out,” Morey added. “We have an MVP player, we have a great roster that lots of players want to play with, and a lot of coaches want to be with, so we will look at that carefully.”

Although the Sixers want to take their time with the scouting process, one of their candidates could be off the board in the coming days.

Recently, Nick Nurse has been revealed as a finalist for both the Bucks and the Suns' head coaching jobs. According to a report from ESPN, the Bucks plan on meeting with Nurse and other finalists this week after narrowing down their search to just a handful of names after initially considering around 15 prospects.

As for the Suns, they are reportedly expected to speed up their process as they have a list of finalists containing about five coaches. Among those linked to the Suns are also Nick Nurse.

Late last week, it was reported that Nurse was expected to meet with the Sixers at some point in the coming days. So far, Frank Vogel has been the only confirmed prospect to formally meet with the 76ers’ organization.

It’s unclear where Nurse ranks on the 76ers’ list of candidates at this time. From a tactical and experience standpoint, Nurse checks most boxes as he’s got a championship under his belt and a Coach of the Year nod to his name after spending five seasons in charge of the Raptors.

However, it’s necessary to note that the Sixers’ top star Joel Embiid has been quite critical of the Raptors’ defensive game plans on multiple occasions over the past season, which could be viewed as a direct reflection of Embiid’s thoughts on Nurse’s coaching style.

While that’s not to say the big man would be against playing for Nurse, it could affect Philadelphia’s decision-making, leaving them hesitant to speed up their hiring process to ensure they grab Nurse, who seems to be the most popular name on the market at this time.

Regardless of what happens, the Sixers are fortunate to have a crowded pool of talent available and on their radar as they look to improve the coaching staff ahead of the 2023-2024 season.