The Toronto Raptors have signed head coach Darko Rajaković to a multiyear extension, the franchise announced Thursday. The news comes after the team agreed to terms on a new deal with general manager and executive vice president Bobby Webster and other top members of the Raptors front office earlier in the offseason.
Rajaković, whom the Raptors hired under Masai Ujiri to replace Nick Nurse in the 2023 offseason, will be entering his fourth season next year. He had a year remaining on his initial contract, which was a team option the Raptors had already exercised.
“We’re thrilled to extend Darko as head coach of the Toronto Raptors. Darko’s strong development philosophy and commitment to a team-first culture shine through on a daily basis,” Webster said in a statement. “We’ve seen these qualities play out on the court — our team plays hard, plays together and fights until the end. Darko knows there’s more to be done, and we’re looking forward to seeing the continued growth of this team.”
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The extension for Rajaković was considered a certainty following the Raptors’ 46-36 season, which represented a 16-win improvement. They also had a successful, if brief, 2026 playoff run, losing to Cleveland in seven games. It was a notable accomplishment that they pushed the series the distance despite playing without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley each game and leading scorer Brandon Ingram for the final three.
Rajaković will be under much more scrutiny this upcoming season, as he tries to turn the Raptors from a fun playoff team to a championship contender following the Kawhi Leonard trade. Leonard is familiar with the Raptors organization but has not played under Rajaković. Notably, Leonard and Rajaković began their NBA careers with the San Antonio Spurs.
Rajaković has a 101-145 regular-season record as head coach, his first time filling that role in the NBA. However, following the trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby in his first year, the Raptors spent 1 1/2 seasons in rebuilding mode.
In the process, Rajaković helped emphasize a preferred style of play: an aggressive defence meant to allow the shooting-bereft Raptors more opportunities in transition, plus a movement-heavy half-court offence. The Raptors ranked fifth in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions this past season despite lacking excellent defenders, save for second-team all-defense forward Scottie Barnes.
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, but our team knows there is still a lot of work to do, and I am looking forward to continuing to build and win with the Raptors. We will keep growing, keep working together and stay committed to getting better every day as we reach for our goal of an NBA Championship,” Rajaković said in the statement. “I’m grateful to Bobby, to MLSE and the board of directors, to my coaching staff and especially to the players.”
The Raptors have also shown cohesion and personal affinity for one another, even in 2024-25, when they finished 30-52.
“(Coaches) are in tough situations. Coaches are direct with a few players, maybe two or three. But I’ve never seen a coach be direct with all 17 of them,” former Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, said early in the season.
“I’ve never seen a coach who is probably going to stop a play group and jump in as a head coach and fix stuff up or stop a shooting drill and come and talk to you. To me, that’s unbelievable. That’s commitment. … I don’t think any of us would shy away from stepping into his office.”
He will be in that same office for a while.
