Dwane Casey will return as the coach of the Raptors next season, sources have told Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, confirming an earlier report from Mitch Lawrence of NBC New York (Twitter link). Fellow Sun columnist Steve Simmons also appeared to indicate that Casey is safe. The 58-year-old is under contract for the 2015/16 campaign and Toronto has a team option for the 2016/17 season. Casey’s job status came into question after the team struggled over the last few months of the season and were subsequently eliminated from the playoffs by the Wizards in the first round.
There will likely be some changes made to Casey’s coaching staff, though no moves have been finalized, Wolstat notes. This is not the first time that the team has urged Casey to make alterations amongst his assistants, the Toronto Sun scribe adds. Of the four assistants who are most involved with the team’s tactical strategy, only Tom Sterner was with the organization prior to May 2013, when Masai Ujiri took over from Bryan Colangelo as the Raptors’ president and GM, Wolstat adds. Assistants Bill Bayno, Jesse Murmuys and Nick Nurse were brought in after Ujiri was brought on board as an executive.
In his four seasons in Toronto, Casey has led the Raptors to a 154-158 overall record during the regular season, and a 3-8 record in two consecutive trips to the NBA playoffs. He has also helped lead the Raptors to set the franchise record for victories two straight seasons. Casey also spent two campaigns as the coach of the Timberwolves, and he notched a 53-69 record while in Minnesota.