The Nick Nurse era with the Toronto Raptors is officially over. This is after the organization decided to give the 2019 NBA champion coach the axe after failing to lead the Raptors to a playoff berth this season. At this point, the head office has already started its search for their next head coach, and apparently, they already have quite the comprehensive list.

According to NBA guru Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Toronto has already “gathered permission to interview” a handful of the most prominent assistant coaches in the league. Toronto also intends to widen its search, with candidates from the NCAA, WNBA and former NBA coaches also reportedly in the mix.

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who also recently served as the head honcho of the Brooklyn Nets, headlines the Raptors' expansive list of noteworthy candidates. Charles Lee of the Milwaukee Bucks, Kevin Young of the Phoenix Suns, Chris Quinn of the Miami Heat, and Darko Rajakovic of the Memphis Grizzlies are a few other names that have also been included in the shortlist.

Another noteworthy addition is Gregg Popovich's former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon, who is currently the head coach of the defending WNBA champs Las Vegas Aces. She too appears to be a frontrunner for the Raptors, with Hammon potentially being the first female head coach in the NBA.

It's going to be a very interesting summer for Toronto, who is also going to be looking to reshape its roster following a disappointing 2022-23 season. It will all start with their new head coach, though.