Where does Nash fit in search for head coach?

Lack of time crunch means Ujiri can cast wide net

Masai Ujiri was understandably vague in the immediate aftermath of the dismissal of Nick Nurse when asked about the attributes he wanted in the Raptors new coach.

Ujiri talked about restoring spirit and rebuilding culture, about the need to develop young players while insisting the core of the team was not far from Eastern Conference contention. He spoke in generalizations and the overwhelming takeaway was that the team vicechair and president was going to cast a wide net in search of the team’s 10th head coach, and the third that he will have put in place.

A month into the process — and there seems to be no imminent resolution — that takeaway has been proved true. And then some.

Steve Nash, the 49-year-old Hall of Famer, Canadian basketball icon and the former coach of the Brooklyn Nets, is the latest name to be thrown into the mix.

League sources confirmed a Sunday report that Nash has spoken to the Ujiri and the Raptors upper management, another possible candidate from a list that is long and one that branches out in every imaginable direction.

While it’s impossible to track every person Ujiri and Webster have spoken to so far, the various names that have leaked out run the gamut from inexperienced former players like JJ Redick, former NBA assistants like Sergio Scariolo and Becky Hammon and current assistants like Sacramento’s Jordi Fernandez.

There are assuredly dozens of others whose chats have been kept private — a goal of Ujiri and Webster in any personnel situation — but it’s clear there are myriad options available.

The roster is in as a much of a state of flux as the coaching staff, which right now consists of player development assistants Jim Sann and Rico Hines and the staff of the Raptors 905 G League team.

If Ujiri’s considering taking a step back with the roster, he might want someone heavy on developmental skills like Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson.

If he’s content to simply make tweaks, he probably wants someone with motivational skills who can quickly gain the respect of the players, like ex-Suns head coach Monty Williams.

If he’s bent on making bold statements, unproven talents like Redick or out-of-the-box candidates like Hammon might make sense.

Where Nash fits is hard to say. He was 94-67 as the Nets coach, reaching the second round of the playoffs in 2021. Brooklyn was swept in the first round in 2022 before he was let go early last season.

While certainly not blameless for what transpired in his two-plus seasons with the Nets, it could not have been a picnic dealing with the egos and agendas of Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant and the fact all three are gone should be an indication of what Brooklyn management and ownership ultimately thought of them.

The NBA draft is still more than a month away, there might still be candidates working as the conference finals go on — David Adelman in Denver and Miami’s Chris Quinn are viable options — and head coaches are usually just on the periphery of the pre-draft workout process anyway. Their input is welcome but not essential.

And the combination of time and the desire to search far and wide plays perfectly into Ujiri’s modus operandi. The net has been cast wide because it can be, it should be.

And, sure, a guy like Nash is worth chatting with because maybe something clicks. It’s all part of a long, deliberate process.

As it should be.