After a fairly underwhelming season, the Toronto Raptors and coach Nick Nurse reached an agreement to part ways.
Analysts anticipated them to restructure their squad and move away players like OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam, but that didn’t happen.
They are therefore considering a fascinating group of individuals to take the helm of their enterprise given that it is clear they have no desire to tank and rebuild.
Fifteen-year NBA veteran and ESPN analyst JJ Redick has interviewed for the Toronto Raptors coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Redick was part of a first-round of candidates to meet with franchise leadership.
Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 10, 2023
Notably, former NBA star JJ Redick emerged as one of the possible applicants. He even conducted an interview with them for the role, which unsurprisingly sparked a range of reactions on social media.
Will the interview be featured on a future episode of @OldManAndThree
PJ (@pjraduta) May 10, 2023
That s huge for JJ, hope he gets a shot
HITMVN (@HITMVNx) May 10, 2023
LOOOOOL TORONTO RAPTORS GETTING RELEGATED
KingCharge (@KingChargeYT) May 10, 2023
On the one hand, Redick was a 15-year NBA veteran who has established himself as an intelligent, well-spoken individual through his podcast and ESPN appearances.
On the other side, he has no prior coaching expertise, so it would be an unusual and rather hazardous decision.
Redick wouldn’t be the only former player to have the opportunity to take on the role of coach without having any prior coaching experience, and one might argue that it hasn’t always gone horribly.
Additionally, there aren’t many possibilities at the moment, with some of the most qualified contenders being Mark Jackson, Mike Budenholzer, and Nate McMillan.
The Raptors should be a desirable destination for every coach Redick included because they have an attractive group of young players and a possible building block in Scottie Barnes, so it might take some time before they make a decision.
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A Surprising Name Has Surfaced As A Possibility In Raptors Coaching Search