NBA Rumors: Lakers Hoping to Possibly Land Raptors' Nick Nurse?

Although the Los Angeles Lakers' 2021-2022 NBA season wasn't all that interesting, their offseason is already off to an intriguing start. Last week, the Lakers

Although the Los Angeles Lakers' 2021-2022 NBA season wasn't all that interesting, their offseason is already off to an intriguing start.

Last week, the Lakers knew they were playing for nothing during the final stretch of the regular season. As a loss to the Phoenix Suns eliminated the Lakers' chances of participating in the NBA Play-In Tournament, Los Angeles began to look ahead beyond this season.

As expected, the Lakers parted ways with their head coach, Frank Vogel, on Monday. Despite coaching the Lakers to a championship just a few seasons ago, Vogel's struggles to get the best of Los Angeles' questionable roster over the last couple of seasons caused the organization to move on.

Now, the Lakers will search for Vogel's replacement, and they seem to be planning for a big move. Last week, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report mentioned that Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers is a name that's been linked to the Lakers by league personnel if he becomes available after this year's playoff run.

However, Rivers isn't the only rumored candidate that's currently coaching a playoff team. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Lakers are expected to pursue Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, who has two years left on his current contract.

"Nurse, who led the Raptors to a championship in 2019, signed a multiyear contract extension in 2020 and has two years left on his deal. It’s unclear whether he will be attainable or whether he would have interest, but the Lakers are hoping the former Coach of the Year is an option with the allure of coaching James and Davis and the appeal of the Los Angeles market. To acquire Nurse, the Lakers would need to receive permission from the Raptors and likely engage them on a prospective trade. Over the next several weeks, expect several other candidates to emerge, including University of Michigan coach Juwan Howard, who interviewed for the opening in 2019."

Good News for Philly?

While the Los Angeles landing Nurse scenario is likely a longshot, it would be an excellent move for the Lakers. It would be great news for the Philadelphia 76ers and the rest of the Eastern Conference as well.

While the Raptors haven't followed up their 2019 NBA Finals victory with another visit to the championship, Toronto has remained a challenging opponent. For the Sixers specifically, the Nurse-led Raptors have been a problem for Philadelphia over the last few seasons.

Not only did Toronto knock Philly out of the playoffs during the 2018-2019 season, but the Sixers' record against the Raptors since then is 4-7. The Lakers will probably have a hard time prying Nurse away from Toronto, but it's a potential move that could significantly impact the Eastern Conference.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.