After firing Nick Nurse, the Toronto Raptors conducted an extensive coaching search that included several possible candidates, including Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson. It was announced on Saturday afternoon that Toronto would be hiring Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic to replace Nurse as their head coach.
Rajakovic's hiring fills the final head coaching vacancy in the NBA right now, although things move quickly in this league, and other openings could present themselves unexpectedly. Following the news of Rajakovic's hiring, Grizzlies star Desmond Bane shared his reaction on Twitter:
Rajakovic was a heavily trusted assistant to Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, and is somebody that Memphis is excited to see get this opportunity. While it does create a big hole on the Memphis coaching staff, these are the types of opportunities that organizations are happy to see their members leave for.
The Raptors have an interesting summer ahead of them, including decisions to make on players like Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and others. Should Toronto choose to enter a rebuild, significant trade packages should be available for some of their veterans. With their new head coaching hire, Toronto has a leader to help navigate the organization through whatever their immediate future holds.
This will also be an interesting offseason for the Grizzlies, who have much more to sort out than just replacing Rajakovic on their coaching staff.
More must-reads: