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Nick Nurse to meet Sixers brass to discuss vacant coaching position

Nurse led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title and compiled a 227-163 record in five seasons in Toronto. He was the 2020 NBA coach of the year.

Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse watches play during the first half of the team's NBA preseason basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, in Boston.
Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse watches play during the first half of the team's NBA preseason basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, in Boston.Read moreCharles Krupa / AP

CHICAGO — Nick Nurse will meet with 76ers ownership and management in the next week in regard to their vacant head coaching position, according to league sources.

The Sixers fired coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday after three seasons. Meanwhile, Nurse was let go by the Toronto Raptors last month. But the 55-year-old is one of the best coaches available for the job.

Nurse spent his first five seasons in Toronto as an assistant. After being named head coach before the 2018-19 season, he’s compiled a 227-163 record. He led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title in his first year and had three postseason appearances.

Nurse was the 2020 NBA coach of the year. He also won two NBA Development League championships and two British Basketball League titles before coaching in the NBA.

» READ MORE: The most important things Daryl Morey said about James Harden, Joel Embiid, and the Sixers’ next coach

The Sixers fired Rivers two days after suffering a 112-88 Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Sixers suffered second-round exits in each of Rivers’ three seasons.

They lost to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games in 2021. The Miami Heat defeated them in six games last season. This season, they were unable to upset the Celtics in a series they led, 3-2.

However, the Sixers’ 54-28 record this season was their best since 2001, when the team finished 56-26. And the Sixers’ 154 regular-season wins in Rivers’ three seasons are the third-most victories by an NBA team during that time.

» READ MORE: Ahead of Sixers’ tilt, Raptors coach Nick Nurse opens up about uncertain future, Toronto turmoil

The problem is, Rivers and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey were brought in to advance the Sixers beyond the second round for the first time since 2001. And that didn’t happen.

The Raptors were hampered by a lot of injuries this season.

They finished the regular season with a 41-41 record before losing to the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament.