FILE – JJ Redick #17 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 9, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Raptors 112-101. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images/AFP
There are several veteran NBA head coaches available, but a surprising name emerged as the favorite to be the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers following the firing of Doc Rivers on Tuesday.
SportsBetting.ag installed former 76ers player JJ Redick as the early 3-1 favorite. That’s ahead of Monty Williams (4-1), who was recently fired by the Phoenix Suns, and former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse (5-1).
Redick, 38, retired after the 2020-21 season and has become a respected analyst, but also has stated an interest in getting into coaching. He reportedly has interviewed with Toronto, and Redick’s name also could wind up on Philadelphia’s short list.
Among Redick’s 15 seasons in the NBA, two of them were spent with the 76ers from 2017-19. Somewhat ironically, Redick played for Rivers while with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013-17.
There are currently five openings in the NBA, with Milwaukee also parting with Mike Budenholzer and Dwane Casey stepping down from the Detroit Pistons.
Nurse and Williams are candidates to fill vacancies with multiple teams.
While 76ers star Joel Embiid is close with Redick, he has been critical of Nurse on multiple occasions, including questioning his defensive strategy against Philadelphia.
SportsBetting.ag’s market for the next 76ers coach has 15 names, all the way down to the fun inclusion of former Philadelphia star Allen Iverson as a 500-1 longshot.
More realistic options who could emerge as strong candidates include former Villanova head man Jay Wright (6-1) and longtime NBA player and current 76ers assistant Sam Cassell (18-1).
The 76ers do have a big offseason decision to make with pending free agent James Harden. He and Philadelphia president Daryl Morey have a strong history with Mike D’Antoni (7-1) from when the three were together in Houston.
The name on the list with the most recent NBA title on his resume is Frank Vogel (8-1). Vogel led the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship while playing in the bubble during the pandemic.