The Philadelphia 76ers have made it clear that they are going to be changing things up this offseason. General manager Daryl Morey has already been fired, and while a replacement has not been hired just yet, whoever ends up taking over as the leader of the team’s front office is likely going to immediately be hard at work looking for ways to revamp the roster.
For the most part, head coach Nick Nurse‘s status with the team has not been up for debate, especially now that Morey has gotten the ax. In a surprise turn, though, teams with head coach openings, such as the Dallas Mavericks, have expressed interest in meeting with Nurse. Unsurprisingly, the 76ers have responded with a strong answer to these requests.
76ers Not Expected to Grant Mavs Permission to Speak to Nick Nurse
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Nurse has spent three seasons as Philadelphia’s head coach, and while he’s led the team to the playoffs twice, he generally has struggled to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Going long stretches of time without his best player, Joel Embiid, on the court certainly has not helped, but even when everyone has been on the court, the Sixers have struggled to meet expectations.
Philly’s brief postseason run was the perfect example of what Nurse’s tenure with the team has been like. In the first round against the Boston Celtics, the 76ers fell into a 3-1 deficit, only to rattle off three straight wins while playing arguably their best basketball of the season. All the momentum disappeared immediately, though, as the team was brutally swept out of the second round by the New York Knicks.
Despite that, the Sixers are blaming their team’s struggles on Morey, not Nurse. While Philadelphia doesn’t want to lose Nurse, what if he decides he wants to leave? The Mavericks, who are now run by Masai Ujiri (who gave Nurse his first head-coaching opportunity with the Toronto Raptors back in 2018), are reportedly interested in the veteran coach. The 76ers, however, have no desire to let him talk to the Mavs, or any other team, for that matter.
“Speaking of Nurse, some have mentioned his name as an intriguing candidate in Dallas, but the Philadelphia 76ers are not prepared to grant the Mavs permission to speak with their head coach should they reach out, sources said,” Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported.
76ers Make Their Commitment to Nick Nurse Very Clear
Photo by Luke Hales/Getty ImagesSixers head coach Nick Nurse
The tie between Ujiri and Nurse is certainly noteworthy, but it doesn’t seem like the Sixers are going to let Nurse leave this offseason. That will give the team some continuity as it continues to work on building around Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, as both guys have become quite familiar with what it’s like playing for Nurse.
The Mavs, on the other hand, will have to look elsewhere in their search for a new head coach after firing Jason Kidd earlier this month. Their interest in Nurse is somewhat of an eye-opener, but it should only reinforce the notion that Philly has a good head coach at its disposal, which is even more of a reason not to let him leave.
76ers’ Response to Mavs’ Nick Nurse Pursuit Turns Heads