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It's been a rocky season for the Toronto Raptors, who after finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference a season ago, sit just ninth this year with a 40-40 record. There's still the possibility of the Raptors making the playoffs, but they'll have to win two games in the play-in to claim the No. 8 spot out East, which isn't an ideal situation to be in. 

It's been a season clouded with trade speculation surrounding Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr., all of whom were mentioned as trade targets ahead of February's trade deadline. However, despite all the rumors suggesting that the Raptors would trade key pieces and shift focus toward rebuilding around Scottie Barnes for the future, the team ultimately decided to stand pat and make a push for the postseason. In addition to rumors surrounding the players, there's also been speculation around head coach Nick Nurse's future with the franchise. It first started when Nurse was asked about his future with the team ahead of Toronto's matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers last week. Nurse told reporters that he's going to "take a few weeks" to see where he's at.

"When this season gets done, we'll evaluate everything, and even personally I'm going to take a few weeks to see where I'm at," Nurse said. "Just see how the relationship with the organization is. It's been 10 years for me now, which is a pretty good run..."

That sure sounds like a guy contemplating if he wants to still be coaching the same team. Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer then reported on Friday that the Raptors are "openly evaluating" Nurse's fit as the head coach of the team going forward. Fischer also said that if Nurse either decides to leave the Raptors, or if the two sides agree to mutually part ways, one name on the list as a replacement is former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. 

Udoka is currently serving a season-long suspension from the Celtics after it was discovered that he was having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member of the Celtics. However, with Boston announcing back in January that it was removing the interim tag from Joe Mazzulla as head coach and giving him a multi-year contract, Udoka will now be able to find employment elsewhere. Udoka was already considered as a replacement for the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks when they fired their coaches this season, and now we can add the Raptors to the list of teams interested in him. Udoka was a candidate for the Toronto head coaching position back when Nurse got the job, so if Nurse exits it sounds like he'll be at the top of their list.