Toronto Raptors: The 3 best candidates to replace Nick Nurse as coach

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 18: Head coach Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors signals against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round at Wells Fargo Center on April 18, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

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The Toronto Raptors moved on from championship-winning coach Nick Nurse several weeks ago, but things have been relatively quiet on the search for a new head coach. That changed in a monumental way on Wednesday.

ESPN reported that their own employee, JJ Redick, interviewed for the job this week. The team is reportedly only in the first round of interviews for the position, which has been open since April 21.

It’s not clear how serious of an option Redick will be for the franchise. He’s well respected for his opinions and he’s one of the better shooters in recent NBA history, but he has no coaching experience at the professional level, even as an assistant. Nevertheless, the bombshell candidate reveal makes it a good time to check back in on Masai Ujiri’s coaching search.

A number of names have already been floated as candidates for the job. The ESPN article mentions these names: Golden State’s Kenny Atkinson, Milwaukee’s Charles Lee, Phoenix’s Kevin Young, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson, Sacramento’s Jordi Fernandez, Memphis’ Darko Rajakovic, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin.

That’s a lot of candidates to sort through, not to mention people who are flying under the public radar.

As the Toronto Raptors coaching search heats up, who should be the top candidates for one of the NBA’s open gigs?

Some candidates are off the board because they’re already taken other jobs, such as Ime Udoka going to Houston. There’s also a chance the Raptors already have an idea of who they want but need to wait for them to be eliminated from the playoffs.

Have another name worth considering? Feel free to drop it in the comments!

Here are three candidates the Raptors need to consider.