Nick Nurse favored to become next Sixers coach at one sportsbook; Sam Cassell second choice
Nurse is also the favorite for the Bucks’ opening; Jay Wright among those with the longest odds for the Sixers job.
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The 76ers’ coaching search is already under way to find the successor to Doc Rivers, who spent three seasons in Philadelphia and lost in the second round of the playoffs each year.
President of basketball operations Daryl Morey and the Sixers brass are expected to have a long and lengthy coaching search, that is expected to begin with meeting former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, who led the team to a championship in 2019 and won NBA Coach of the Year in 2020.
The NBA coaching market is as robust as we’ve seen it over the last couple of seasons, with Nurse, Mike Budenholzer and Frank Vogel as former NBA champion coaches and Monty Williams, who took the Suns to the NBA Finals just a couple of seasons ago, among others who have led deep playoff runs.
Most sportsbooks like BetMGM or FanDuel don’t have a prop bet available to bet on who will be the next 76ers head coach when the season starts in the fall, but DraftKings has betting markets open for the Sixers, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks coaching searches.
Who is the favorite to be the next coach in Philly? Here’s a look at the leader in the clubhouse and other names listed, which includes a current Sixers assistant.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings. Subject to change.
Nurse is the overall favorite to land not just the Sixers job at +330, but he’s also favored to get the Bucks opening (+200) and the co-favorite with Budenholzer to get the Suns opening (+300) at DraftKings.
The sportsbook seems to like the chances of Sixers assistant Sam Cassell getting the job in Philly. He is favored over experienced coaches such as Frank Vogel and Monty Williams. Cassell, who has never been a head coach in the NBA, has received interest for the second year. He interviewed with the Houston Rockets last month before they hired Ime Udoka. Cassell also interviewed for the Utah Jazz coaching opening last summer.
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An interesting name to appear on the list: Mike D’Antoni, who has history with Morey, dating back to their time with the Rockets from 2016-2020. Most notably, D’Antoni, James Harden and the Rockets took the Golden State Warriors to the brink of elimination during the 2018 Western Conference finals before falling in seven games. D’Antoni also spent time as the Sixers associate coach from 2015-16.
Intriguing long shots?
Outside of the top six names, the Sixers would have to either take a chance on a first-time head coach or lure away an assistant from another team, and two names in particular could fit the latter.
Kenny Atkinson, a longtime NBA assistant, could be in the mix, valued at 25/1 to be the next Sixers coach. A current Warriors assistant, Atkinson spent four seasons from 2016-20 as the Brooklyn Nets coach, ushering them into a rebuild, but was fired before getting to coach the duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the court together.
» READ MORE: A look at Daryl Morey’s past coaching hires, and what they might reveal about the Sixers’ search
Milwaukee Bucks associate coach Charles Lee is another name to watch, after following Budenholzer over from the Atlanta Hawks. Lee, who has never been a head coach, has nine years as an assistant coach, and is priced at 25/1 as well to be the Sixers’ next head coach.