Lakers To Interview Raptors Coach

The Los Angeles Lakers have started down the trail of choosing their new head coach. The early rumors had them targeting Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. And while both Raptors president Masai Ujiri and Nurse himself have shot down the rumors, it turns out that Nurse's assistant Adrian Griffin is not off-limits for the Lakers. 

LA has been granted permission to interview Griffin, who's been an assistant in Toronto since 2018, the same year that Nurse took over as head coach, and the team went on to win the NBA championship. 

Lakers request permission to interview Toronto Raptors assistant for LA’s head coaching job, sources say: pic.twitter.com/Ej1iSe0xqN

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 4, 2022

The 47-year-old Griffin played nine years in the NBA, for five different teams, including the Dallas Mavericks team that went to the Finals in 2006. 

While Ujiri made light of the rumors of the Lakers going after Nick Nurse ("they can dream"), he did say that Griffin would be a great choice for any team. “I think Adrian is right there on the cusp of becoming a head coach in this league."

Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham will also interview for the Lakers job, as they continue to build out their list of candidates. 

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports