According to an anonymous source, the Toronto Raptors are in the process of finalizing an agreement to appoint Darko Rajakovic, as assistant coach from the Memphis Grizzlies, as their next head coach.
The source who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity while awaiting completion of the contract, said the team and Rajakovic entered into an agreement in principle on Saturday, although the final details are still being worked out.
The Serbian native first joined the NBA in 2012 as a G League coach and has spent the last nine seasons as an assistant coach with Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Memphis.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors chose Rajakovic because they were looking for someone who could “coach a contenting team” regardless if the franchise decided to keep its team of veteran players including Fred VanVleet and PG Anunoby, or to rebuild their roster to include younger player and draft assets.
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 decision to hire 44-year-old Rajakovic comes nearly two months after the departure of Nick Nurse, who is now the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
ESPN reported that Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson were also being considered for the head coaching position. Prior to Saturday, the Raptors were the only team remaining in the NBA with an unfilled head coaching position.
Toronto is coming off a 41-41 season and finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. With the exception of two seasons, the Raptors have consistently made the playoffs since 2013. However, they were unable to secure a playoff spot this past year after losing to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
