76ers Rival Watch: Raptors Conclude Final Head Coach Search

The NBA head coaching market is officially closed. After a rather crowded market formed before and during the 2023 NBA Playoffs, every team with a vacancy has officially found its replacements.

On Saturday, the Toronto Raptors concluded their search and are finalizing a deal to hire Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Rajakovic joins the Raptors following their stint with Nick Nurse. Unlike some of the other organizations in the market, the Raptors took a different approach and hired a first-time head coach that wasn’t a popular name among other searches.

Rajakovic, a Serbian head coach, got his start in the NBA at the developmental level. By coaching the Tulsa 66ers of the formerly known NBA D League, Rakajovic picked up an assistant coaching position with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014.

After spending some time in Oklahoma City, Rajakovic moved on to help coach the Phoenix Suns for the 2019-2020 NBA season. After one year in Phoenix, he joined the Memphis Grizzlies, spending two seasons coaching the young and emerging Memphis team.

Now, Rajakovic will get a crack at coaching his own team in Toronto. This now marks the second-straight time the Raptors will roll with a first-time head coach. Back in 2018, the Raptors ended the Dwane Casey era and elevated Nick Nurse as the head coach after he spent five seasons as an assistant.

During Nurse’s stint, the Raptors achieved a 227-163 record during the regular season and won 61 percent of their postseason matchups. In 2020, the Raptors won their first NBA Championship. Following the 2022-2023 NBA season, the Raptors parted ways with Nurse after five seasons.

Although Nurse received interest from several organizations, including the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns, Nurse signed on to become the next head coach of the 76ers following the three-year run with Doc Rivers.

At this point, every team has found its replacement. The Rockets hired former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka to take over for Stephen Silas. The Milwaukee Bucks snagged Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin to take over for Mike Budenholzer.

Over in Phoenix, the Suns have concluded their search by hiring former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel. Although Monty Williams contemplated taking a season off, he couldn’t pass up the expensive offer from the Detroit Pistons.