The Lakers may not be able to land the Raptors’ Nick Nurse as their next head coach, but they are at least seeing what to make of one of his assistants.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Lakers have requested permission to interview Adrian Griffin, a longtime head-coaching candidate and current assistant under Nurse in Toronto.
Griffin is just the latest name to surface as a possibility for the Lakers vacancy. Others include Warriors assistant Mike Brown (link), ESPN analyst Mark Jackson (link), former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts (link), Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, Jazz assistant Alex Jensen (link) and former Wizards and Thunder coach Scott Brooks (link).
Meanwhile, Nurse has shot down any talk of having interest in the Lakers job. “I don’t know where that stuff comes from and I’m focused on coaching (the Raptors),” he told reporters.
Griffin, 47, has been an assistant with the Raptors since 2018. Before that, he was an assistant with the Magic, Thunder, Bulls and Bucks, dating back to 2008. He also played in the NBA from 1999-2008 with six different teams.
While Griffin has been a candidate in multiple spots, including with the Pelicans and Cavaliers, he has never been able to land a head-coaching gig. Raptors president Masai Ujiri said at a recent press conference that he thinks Griffin is ready.
“I think Adrian is right there on the cusp of becoming a head coach in this league,” Ujiri said.
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