Camila Sosa
Toronto Raptors president of operations Masai Ujiri took the opportunity on Tuesday to wake the Los Angeles Lakers from a deep slumber in which they saw their potential coach for next season in the distance.
Ujiri, in a press conference called to discuss the Raptors’ season, was asked about the strong rumor that has settled in the corridors of the league: the Los Angeles team wants to get Nick Nurse to fill the coaching bench.
Amid laughter and a bit of irony, Masai Ujiri took the opportunity to dismiss any possibility of this happening, erasing another name from Lakers management’s list of favorites in one fell swoop.
“No team has contacted me, and I see all the stuff you see. I dream like (the Lakers) dream. I want (Lionel) Messi. I want (Cristiano) Ronaldo. I want Kobe Bryant. So they can keep dreaming. I dream, too”
Masai Ujiri, at press conference, on Lakers’ intentions with Nick Nurse
Since the dismissal of Frank Vogel as coach of the Lakers, the list of names to fill his position has been somewhat extensive. However, Nurse’s name is one of the most talked about, since he also has the backing of LeBron James.
The big problem for the Western team is that, if they want him, they must negotiate directly with the Raptors, since they renewed Nurse with a multi-year extension in 2020. And although at the time Masai Ujiri did not reveal how many seasons it was for, due to the organization’s policies, it was later revealed that it will be extended until the 2023-2024 season.
Nick Nurse Had already Validated Masai Ujiri’s Words
Minutes after being eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers, Nick Nurse spoke to the media about the elimination.
However, as expected, the press seized the moment to ask him if that could have been his last game with the Raptors after the Lakers’ interest.
Nurse, like Masai Ujiri on Tuesday, said he had no idea where the rumor had come from and that he was committed to fulfilling his contract with Toronto.
This season was Nurse’s fourth as the team’s coach, one of the most successful in the league. In 2018-2019, his first year on the bench, he won the NBA championship; in 2019-2020 he was Coach of the Year and on only one occasion has failed to lead the Raptors to the postseason.
