Report: Nuggets top assistant set to interview for Raptors head coaching job

As the Nuggets focus on winning their first NBA title, one of their assistant coaches is getting a big opportunity.

According to a report from The Athletic on Sunday, Denver assistant David Adelman will interview with the Toronto Raptors for their vacant head coaching job in the coming days.

The Toronto Raptors are interviewing Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman for their head coaching job this upcoming week, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. A rising assistant since 2011, Adelman has spent the past six seasons with the Nuggets.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 7, 2023

Adelman is Michael Malone’s top assistant, and filled in for him as the team’s acting head coach earlier this year when Malone battled COVID. Denver went 3-1 during those games.

Adelman, the son of former NBA coach Rick Adelman, has been with the Nuggets since 2017. He’s coached basketball in some capacity since 2002, starting when he was 21-years-old at the high school level in Oregon. Adelman’s first NBA gig came with the Timberwolves in 2011.

Denver would hate to lose Adelman, but he’s considered a rising star in the profession and it feels like a matter of time before he’s tasked with leading an organization. The Raptors parted ways with championship coach Nick Nurse earlier this offseason.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets are in a battle with the Suns in the Western Conference semifinals. They currently lead Phoenix 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 slated to start in just a few hours.

***

Related

10 must-see games of the Denver Nuggets 2026-27 seasonNuggets’ 2026-27 schedule: Denver opens and closes vs. OKC, draws 28 national TV gamesRussell Westbrook retires: A Nuggets villain turned teammate, and the triple-double king Jokic is chasingNuggets get Christmas game, face old but star-filled groupNuggets rejected offer for Nikola Jokic to play in Greece in ‘a few seconds’You can tryout to play pro ball in the Nuggets organization