The day will one day come when Nate Oats walks away from Alabama basketball. Crimson Tide fans hope that day is decades in the future and at the conclusion of his coaching career. The most realistic scenario, though, is for Oats to leave Tuscaloosa for a shot at the NBA.
That day may soon come. That day is not today, however.
With any high-profile job, Oats will have his name connected. That's the burden of a successful coach running a successful program. Others are envious of what Oats has built at Alabama and want him to do the same at their school/team.
Oats has led Alabama to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament three years in a row. Alabama has made back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, and made the 2024 Final Four, the first appearance in school history.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see the New York Knicks, one of the NBA's flagship franchises which finished just two games away from making the NBA Finals this year, kick the tires on the Tide's head coach.
The Knicks unexpectedly fired Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday, just a few days after New York was eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Indiana Pacers.
Thibodeau's biggest flaws have been his unwillingness to trust his bench and his archaic offense. With the players the Knicks currently have, Oats's up-tempo, free-flowing offensive style would be a perfect fit for the roster.
There's plenty of shooting on the roster, and lead guard Jalen Brunson is a super-charged version of Oats' point guard the past three seasons in Tuscaloosa, Mark Sears.
Coaching at the Mecca of basketball in Madison Square Garden in New York City, with a roster built to win, would be intriguing for any coach. There will be plenty of interested parties. Top college coaches like Oats, UConn's Danny Hurley, and Florida's Todd Golden could draw interest.
What Hurley or Golden do if they are offered is unknown. If Oats is targeted, as flattering as it might be, the timing isn't right for him to make the leap to the pros.
Several factors are working in Alabama's favor to hang on to Nate Oats
There are several factors in play working in Alabama's favor to hang on to Oats for a while longer.
The first of which is monetary.
Oats has a significant buyout number. Between now and March 31st of next year, if Oats were to leave for another job, he would owe the University $18 million. That number reduces to $10 million after the 31st of next year. It drops again to $4 million after March 31st of 2027. The following year, it drops to zero.
It is unlikely to ever drop too much, however, as Greg Byrne will surely be looking at a contract extension once again for Oats after next season, assuming 2025-26 isn't a total disaster for the Tide. Most fans would be okay with Byrne offering Oats a lifetime contract.
In October of last year, Oats had this to say about the NBA coaching rumors that consistently pop up:
"The NBA intrigues me for sure," said Oats. "But I've got three daughters. I think the college coaching lifestyle makes it more conducive to being a good father. You're not on the road all the time like you are in the NBA."
(Quotes are courtesy of The Crimson White.)
Two of Oats' three daughters are still in high school. It's hard to believe Oats would leave Tuscaloosa while his daughters are still high school-aged. Once they've graduated and moved on to college on their own, he'll probably be more receptive to the idea.
But the NBA is a grind. Coaching in college and the pros is the opposite in football and basketball. If you want any quality of life as a football coach, you'll have to coach in the pros. If you want that same quality of life in basketball, you'll have to coach in college.
The other thing working in Alabama's favor is that Oats is undoubtedly excited about his roster for next season, especially after Labaron Philon decided to return to Tuscaloosa for his sophomore season. He spoke glowingly about the roster even before Philon's decision.
One day the conversation about Oats leaving Alabama will become real. Maybe it's many years in the future. Maybe it's in the next couple of years. But for now, Crimson Tide fans should rest easy in knowing that their head coach isn't going anywhere.