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Darko Rajakovic has found a new home.
The Toronto Raptors are finalizing a deal to hire the Memphis Grizzlies assistant as their new head coach ahead of the 2023-24 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Rajakovic will replace Nick Nurse, who was fired by the Raptors on April 21 following a disappointing end to the 2022-23 season, in which Toronto finished ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-41 record and lost in the first round of the play-in tournament to the Chicago Bulls.
“The feel, the spirit of who we really are, it’s been very disappointing for us,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said following Nurse’s dismissal. “We want to gain momentum back as a team. Togetherness, culture, all the things we’ve stood for here, I think we lacked this year.”
Nurse spent five seasons as head coach of the Raptors from 2018-2023, leading the team to the postseason three times, including an NBA title in 2019.
The hiring of Rajakovic to replace Nurse comes as little surprise, as Wojnarowski reported in April that Toronto’s wide-ranging search included the 44-year-old.
Sergio Scariolo and Kenny Atkinson were the other two finalists for the job, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
Rajakovic served as an assistant for the Grizzlies from 2020-2023, playing a key role in the franchise’s rise as one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Rajakovic also served as an assistant for the Phoenix Suns from 2019-20 and an assistant for the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2014-2019.
He also has G League experience, having served as head coach of the Tulsa 66ers (now the Oklahoma City Blue) from 2012-2014.
Now in Toronto, Rajakovic will be tasked with leading a talented roster that includes Scottie Barnes, O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam back to the postseason, and perhaps an eventual berth in the NBA Finals.
