Raptors Hire Darko Rajakovic As Head Coach
JUNE 13: The Raptors have officially hired Rajakovic, issuing a press release to formally announce their new head coach.
“We’re entering a new era – one where we are embracing new ideas, a new attitude, and now a new head coach – but our goals remain the same. A championship. Winning,” Ujiri said in a statement. “Darko shares those goals, and our belief in culture, professionalism, and hard work. His commitment to both learning and teaching our game is elite, and we are all very excited to welcome him to the Raptors family.”
JUNE 10: Grizzlies assistant coach Darko Rajakovic is getting a new job.
Sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that the Raptors have offered Rajakovic their vacant head coaching position, and are currently in the process of ironing out terms on a deal.
Toronto team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster fired former head coach Nick Nurse in April after he spent 10 years with the franchise, including five in that role. Nurse led the Raptors to their first-ever title during his debut season as the team’s head coach in 2018/19.
Rajakovic, who originally hails from Serbia and coached in the Spanish EBA League before arriving stateside, got his feet wet in the NBA while working as a scouting consultant and Summer League assistant coach for the Spurs from 2004-11.
He then served as the head coach of the Tulsa 66ers, the then-D League affiliate club of the Thunder. The team has since been rechristened the Oklahoma City Blue, and of course the D League has become the G League in the intervening seasons.
Rajakovic subsequently served as an assistant coach under Scott Brooks and Billy Donovan with the Thunder from 2014-19, then worked with the Suns during the 2019/20 season on the staff of Monty Williams. He joined Taylor Jenkins‘ bench in 2020 with Memphis and soon graduated to become Jenkins’ lead assistant coach.
According to Wojnarowski, Toronto was looking for a head coach that could function either in leading a veteran-laden roster back to the playoffs or in developing a younger core.
Wojnarowski names Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson and Bucks assistant Charles Lee as two other finalists who were given serious consideration.
The Raptors’ opening had been the final available head coaching vacancy on the market this year.
Heat Expected To Go Star Hunting This Offseason
The Heat exceeded all expectations this spring by making the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be satisfied to run it back with the same roster for 2023/24.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link) and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (YouTube link), Miami is expected to explore the trade market in search of a star player this summer.
As Windhorst points out, it makes sense for the Heat to be aggressive as they seek roster upgrades this offseason for a few reasons. For one, Jimmy Butler will turn 34 years old in September and presumably has a limited number of prime years left, while Bam Adebayo – 26 in July – is entering his own prime.
Additionally, the Heat’s roster is getting more expensive, meaning they’ll likely be subject to more restrictive trade rules beginning in 2024/25, when the changes in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement for tax-paying teams will be fully implemented. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald explores those new rules in more detail, noting that – while some changes will begin to take effect in 2023/24 – the Heat would have more flexibility to make a blockbuster deal in the coming months than in future league years.
While Kyle Lowry ($29.7MM in 2023/24) and Duncan Robinson ($18.2MM) are Miami’s most obvious salary-matching pieces, Windhorst notes that Tyler Herro ($27MM) will be starting his rookie scale extension in ’23/24 and could make a more intriguing trade chip than Lowry or Robinson. Caleb Martin has also evolved into a player that “a lot of teams have interest in,” Windhorst adds.
Of course, if they want to acquire a star, the Heat will almost certainly need to include multiple draft assets in any offer. They owe a lottery-protected 2025 first-round pick to Oklahoma City, which complicates, to some extent, their ability to move additional first-rounders. Still, they could include up to three first-round selections – including this year’s No. 18 pick – in a trade offer this summer.
While there’s no consensus yet on which players the Heat might target, Charania hears that the club made a trade offer to Brooklyn for Kyrie Irving in February and wonders if Miami might circle back on Irving as he reaches free agency.
That seems like a long shot though, since the Heat aren’t in position to acquire a player via sign-and-trade due to the hard cap it would create. It’s also worth noting that a previous report stated that Heat management wasn’t unanimous in its belief that Irving would be a good addition.
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard recently named the Heat as one of the teams he would want to be traded to if he ever asks out of Portland. There’s no indication that has happened or will happen anytime soon, but there has been more smoke than ever around Lillard’s situation leading up to this offseason.
As Windhorst observes, it’s also entirely possible that there will be a star who has been impressed by the Heat’s unlikely run to the Finals and decides he wants to be part of what’s going on in Miami.
“What we don’t know is what star players just watched the Heat on this two-month advertisement for Heat culture and might go to their teams in the next few weeks and say, ‘I want to be a Miami Heat,'” Windhorst said. “That has happened consistently throughout the Pat Riley era.”
Nuggets Notes: Championship, Porter, Gordon, Booth
The Nuggets‘ championship victory on Monday represented a major financial boon for a pair of the team’s forwards.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the final year of Michael Porter Jr.‘s five-year contract with the Nuggets is now fully guaranteed. Previously, only $12MM of Porter’s $40.8MM cap hit for 2026/27 had been guaranteed, but since Porter appeared in at least 62 games (plus 75% of Denver’s playoff contests) and the club won a title, he’s assured of the full $40.8MM.
Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon earned a $1MM bonus as a result of the championship, Marks tweets. That will bump Gordon’s cap charge for 2023/24 from $21.2MM to $22.2MM, since that $1MM incentive will now be considered “likely” (rather than unlikely) for next season. However, the Nuggets wouldn’t be on the hook for that bonus money next season unless they win another title.
Here’s more on the NBA’s new champions:
- Porter averaged just 9.6 points per game on .328/.143/.750 shooting in five NBA Finals games, but his performance showed that he’s capable of contributing in other ways, which bodes well for his future development, writes Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Porter grabbed 13 rebounds in Game 1 and again in Game 5, matching his season high.
- After playing a major part in helping the Nuggets secure the first title in franchise history, star guard Jamal Murray said on Monday that he believes the club is capable of winning more championships with this core. “I knew once we were healthy, we could do it,” Murray, who missed all of the 2021/22 season due to a torn ACL, told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “So this was long overdue. … I think this is the first of many.”
- Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic take a look at all the moves and decisions that led to Denver’s first championship, including the promotion of assistant GM Calvin Booth after the departure of veteran executive Tim Connelly in 2022. “When Tim left, I remember talking to (Nuggets governor) Josh (Kroenke), and saying, ‘Listen, this is your call, Josh, but what I’m telling you as a head coach who has been here for seven years, we’re heading in the right direction, I really hope that Calvin Booth is given the opportunity to take over,'” Michael Malone told The Athletic. “I said, ‘I know him, he knows me. He knows our players. He knows you.’ (Booth) did a great job of taking all that and saying, ‘OK, we’re in a good spot. But how do we go from good to great? How do we make this even better?’ And Calvin had the balls to do that, man.”
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) preview the roster and contract issues facing the Nuggets this offseason, including Bruce Brown‘s potential free agency and Jamal Murray’s extension eligibility. In case you missed it, Brown expressed a desire to remain in Denver following Monday’s victory.
Bruce Brown: “I Want To Stay” With Nuggets
In the wake of the Nuggets‘ championship-clinching victory on Monday, Bruce Brown‘s teammates were effusive in their praise of the versatile guard, predicting a significant payday for the 26-year-old this summer in free agency. However, Brown told Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscription required) that he won’t necessarily accept the biggest offer he gets on the open market.
“I want to stay,” Brown said. “… It’s a perfect fit. And money is not everything. The money will come. So I’m not worried about that right now.”
Brown, who signed a two-year contract with the Nuggets last offseason, holds a $6.8MM player option for 2023/24. If he turns down that option, Denver would only hold his Non-Bird rights and would be limited to offering him a starting salary of $7.8MM — that figure represents a 20% raise off his current $6.5MM salary.
The Nuggets could theoretically use the mid-level exception to offer up to $12.2MM, but they’re extremely unlikely to have the full MLE available since their team salary projects to be over the luxury tax line. ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) expects rival suitors to be willing to offer at least the MLE amount of $12.2MM, and possibly more than that. Brown’s teammates are also forecasting a substantial raise based on his play in the regular season and postseason.
“Bruce has been huge for us all playoffs,” Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said after Monday’s win. “We’re excited for him because he’s going to get paid. He’s going to get paid. … We just kept telling him be aggressive, even though his first half didn’t go amazing making shots-wise. He hit that big bucket down the stretch, made those two free throws. He was amazing for us all playoffs. It wasn’t just tonight.”
In 80 regular season appearances for the Nuggets, Brown averaged a career-best 11.5 points per night on .483/.358/.758 shooting. He also contributed 4.1 RPG and 3.4 APG while handling a variety of defensive assignments. In the playoffs, he bumped his scoring average to 12.0 PPG while shooting 51.1% from the floor. On Monday, the five-year veteran made a key basket late in the game’s closing minutes to give Denver the lead, then knocked down two free throws with 14 seconds left to clinch the victory.
One option for Brown would be to decline his player option, sign another one-plus-one deal with a first-year salary of $7.8MM, then opt out again in 2024 in order to sign a more lucrative, longer-term deal with the Nuggets. Bobby Portis took this route in Milwaukee after winning a title with the Bucks, accepting a below-market deal in 2021 and then inking a four-year, $48.6MM contract in 2022 once the team had his Early Bird rights.
We’ll see if Brown wants to take a similar path once he’s not still basking in the fresh glow of a title. But on Monday, at least, he sounded genuinely enthusiastic about remaining in Denver.
“That’s insane,” he said of the Nuggets’ 16-4 playoff record, per Singer. “That doesn’t happen. … Why not run it back?”
Nuggets Win First Title, Jokic Named MVP
The Nuggets secured their first championship on Monday night, completing a 4-1 series victory over the Heat with a 94-89 victory. The Nuggets joined the NBA in 1976 after the league’s merger with the ABA.
Nikola Jokic, the league’s two-time Most Valuable Player in the regular season, was named the MVP of the Finals, NBA Communications tweets. He had 28 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the clinching victory. For the series, Jokic averaged 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per night.
Jokic and the team’s other star, Jamal Murray, carried the Nuggets throughout the playoffs. However, the team’s role players made some of the biggest plays in Game 5.
Bruce Brown had the go-ahead put-back in the late going and hit clinching free throws. In between, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a key steal and made two clutch free throws.
Denver is well-positioned to make a run at back-to-back titles and beyond. Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. are all signed through at least the 2024/25 season. Caldwell-Pope has two more years left on his contract, though he can opt out next summer.
There’s a good chance Brown will go elsewhere. He will almost certainly decline his $6.8MM option and the team doesn’t own his Bird rights, limiting its ability to offer much of a raise.
Jeff Green and a handful of other veteran reserves will be unrestricted free agents, though the Nuggets have some quality young players on rookie contracts poised to take on bigger roles, including Christian Braun and Peyton Watson.
The Heat have some key players entering free agency, most notably Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Kevin Love.
With the Finals decided, the 2023 NBA offseason is officially underway. The draft will be held in 10 days with free agency beginning the following week.
And-Ones: Irving, VanVleet, Lakers’ Arena, Jackson, Crawford, Gelfand
Kyrie Irving and Fred VanVleet — who is declining his player option — are the top free agent point guards, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. According to Hollinger, they’re the only max or near-max point guards on the market. Hollinger rates D’Angelo Russell and Tre Jones as the only other free agent floor leaders worth more than the mid-level exception, with Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schröder warranting a mid-level investment.
We have more from the around the basketball world:
- Crypto.com is closing part of its business but it won’t impact its naming rights deal for Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports. AEG, which owns and operates the home arena for the Lakers and Clippers, entered into a 20-year, $700MM naming rights agreement with Singapore-based Crypto.com in November 2021.
- ABC and ESPN analyst Mark Jackson deserves another shot at coaching, an unnamed general manager told Marc Berman in a Casino.org story. Jackson, the Warriors’ head coach before going into broadcasting, interviewed for the Bucks’ head coaching job that went to Adrian Griffin. He has also been passed over for a number of other head coaching jobs in recent years. “He needs to be open to be an associate head coach,” the GM said. “If he was on the bench in Memphis or New Orleans, he’d be perfect for Ja Morant or Zion Williamson.’’
- The Suns are looking to hire Mavericks assistant Quinton Crawford as an assistant on Frank Vogel‘s staff, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets. In another coaching note, the Wizards are close to hiring Pelicans analytics expert Sammy Gelfand.
Southeast Draft Notes: Miller, Hornets, Council, Smith
The Hornets hold the No. 2 pick and Alabama forward Brandon Miller will work out for them on Tuesday, Ashley Stroehlein of WCNC tweets. Miller and G League guard Scoot Henderson are the top contenders to be chosen at the No. 2 spot. It was previously reported that Miller was scheduled to work out for Charlotte on Tuesday and the plans obviously didn’t change. In fact, he has already arrived in Charlotte.
We have more draft-related news from the Southeast Division:
- Prior to Miller’s visit, the Hornets were busy looking at other prospects on Monday. According to a team press release, Gonzaga guard Rasir Bolton, Arizona State guard Desmond Cambridge Jr., San Jose State guard Omari Moore, South Alabama center Kevin Samuel, Illinois guard Matthew Mayer and Baylor forward Flo Thamba worked out for Charlotte. A majority of those players will be looking to get picked up as free agents after the draft.
- Arkansas guard Ricky Council IV, a potential second-round pick, was among the players who visited the Hawks on Monday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Council is ranked No. 52 on ESPN’s Best Available list. Four other guards — Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis, Notre Dame’s Dane Goodwin, Iowa State’s Gabe Kalscheur and Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell — joined him along with Ohio State wing Justice Sueing.
- North Carolina State guard Terquavion Smith (No. 41 on ESPN’s list) headlined the group of six prospects that visited the Wizards on Monday. Utah State forward Daniel Akin, Oklahoma big man Tanner Groves, Southern Utah wing Tevian Jones, Rutgers guard Caleb McConnell and Wichita State guard Craig Porter Jr. joined Smith in the pre-draft workout, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets.
Tyler Herro Available To Play In Game 5
6:11pm: Herro is available tonight, according to Erik Spoelstra, but the coach wouldn’t commit to playing him, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets.
“It’s all hands on deck,” Spoelstra said. “We’re going with our normal rotation, and then we’ll see how things play out.”
11:34am: The Heat have changed Tyler Herro‘s status to questionable for tonight’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals (Twitter link), prompting speculation that he might be ready to return from hand surgery.
Herro is expected to be in uniform and will attempt to play, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Team officials are hoping that he doesn’t suffer a setback before tip-off and that he can manage the pain in his right hand, Woj adds.
The shooting guard has been sidelined since April 16 when he broke two fingers in the opener of Miami’s first-round series with Milwaukee. He had surgery five days later and was projected to miss at least six weeks.
Herro was originally listed as out for Game 5, but he was able to participate in another full-contact practice session on Sunday. His performance apparently convinced team officials that he’s ready to attempt a comeback.
The Heat need a boost in three-point shooting from their backcourt after Gabe Vincent and Max Strus misfired badly in Game 3 and 4. They combined to shoot 4-of-27 from the field in the two losses at Miami while scoring a total of 12 points.
Draft Notes: Ivisic, Djurisic, Traore, Klintman, Burton
Zvonimir Ivisic is withdrawing from the draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. The 7’2” big man from Croatia was a potential second-round selection. He’s ranked No. 59 on ESPN’s Best Available list. The 19-year-old will look to improve his draft stock for 2024.
We have draft-related news:
- Another potential second-rounder, Serbian wing Nikola Djurisic, is also pulling out of the draft, Givony reports in another tweet. The 6’8” Djurisic was ranked No. 53 on ESPN’s board.
- Ousmane N’Diaye (No. 60 on ESPN’s list), Michael Caicedo (No. 75), Musa Sagnia (No. 85) and Quinn Ellis (NR) are among the other international players who pulled out of the draft prior to Monday’s deadline, Givony tweets.
- Forward Armel Traore, who plays for French club Metropolitans, is withdrawing from the draft, Global Scouting tweets.
- Wake Forest’s Bobi Klintman is withdrawing his name, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Ranked No. 48 on ESPN’s board, Klintman has forfeited his remaining college eligibility by missing the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline and has signed with the Cairns Taipans as part of Australia’s NBL Next Stars program as he looks to improve his draft stock for next season, Givony reports (Twitter link).
- Pittsburgh guard Jamarius Burton will work out for the Lakers this week, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. An All-ACC First Team selection, Burton has already worked out for the Bucks and Grizzlies. The five-year college player averaged 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 rebounds last season.
Pelicans Looking To Move Up Draft, Eye Scoot Henderson
The Pelicans are looking to trade up to the No. 2 or No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 draft with their sights set on G League guard Scoot Henderson, Shams Charania of The Stadium and The Athletic reports (Twitter video link).
New Orleans is among several teams seriously pursuing that No. 2 overall pick, according to Charania. The Hornets hold the No. 2 selection and worked out Henderson on Sunday. The 6’2″ guard averaged 17.6 points, 6.6 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals for the Ignite in 19 games this season. Henderson’s spotty 3-point shooting (27.5%) didn’t hurt his draft stock. He was shut down in mid-March by the Ignite.
New Orleans already has CJ McCollum at the point, though he could swing to the shooting guard spot as he did in Portland. The Pelicans drafted Dyson Daniels with the No. 8 pick last June, but Daniels posted modest stats in 59 games during his first NBA season. They also have Kira Lewis Jr., a 2020 lottery pick who returned from a major knee injury to appear in 25 games this season.
The Pelicans hold the No. 14 pick and have a bevy of future first-rounders owed to them, which they could dangle to Charlotte or the Trail Blazers, who hold the No. 3 selection. The Lakers owe New Orleans their unprotected 2024 first-rounder, which can be deferred until 2025. The Bucks owe the Pelicans their unprotected 2027 first-round pick. New Orleans also has the right to swap 2024 and 2026 first-rounders with Milwaukee.
Beyond those draft assets and McCollum, the Pelicans could offer either of their other stars (Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram) or some other young talents (Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones). It remains to be seen what type of package the Hornets (or Blazers) would pursue in order to part with their high lottery pick.