After dismissing NBA Champion and former Coach of the Year Nick Nurse, the Toronto Raptors are reportedly in the end stages of a deal to hire a new replacement: Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic.
In a statement by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday, he revealed the news, which came as a surprise to many across the community.
“Rajakovic, a native of Serbia, emerged out of an exhaustive Raptors process to sell Raptors president Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster on his candidacy to replace Nick Nurse,” wrote Woj. “The Serbian native had been a G League head coach and assistant with OKC and had a stop with the Suns on way to elevating into a top assistant for Taylor Jenkins and the Grizzlies.”
ESPN Sources: The Toronto Raptors are finalizing a deal to hire Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic as the franchise’s next coach. pic.twitter.com/AEPu64p2F2
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2023
The Raptors were thought to be in the mix for guys like Ime Udoka and Mike Budenholzer, but they have chosen to test the waters with Rajakovic instead, who has no experience at this level.
Last season, the Raptors finished 9th in the East and lost in the play-in tournament thanks to an ineffective and wildly inconsistent offense. But with this latest move, there are questions about what comes next for Toronto and what kind of moves we can expect from GM Msai Ujiri.
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Coach Darko could be inheriting a talented team with OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and others currently on the team. Of course, there’s a chance one or all of those guys could be gone before training camp.
“With Nurse gone, the only prominent front-facing figures that remain from that 2019 team are VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and O.G. Anunoby, and their futures are very much uncertain as well,” reported Joshn Lewenberg of TSN. “Outside of Scottie Barnes, who is coming off a disappointing follow-up to his Rookie of the Year campaign, everybody and everything is on the table as the off-season kicks into high gear ahead of the draft in late June and free agency at the beginning of July.”
At this point, it’s hard to say which way the Raptors are leaning but if the right package becomes available, it’s hard to believe they will not give it strong consideration. The truth is, nothing is off the table for this team, and deciding on a coach means the next step in this process can finally begin.
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