Darko Rajakovic Lands Raptors Contract Extension amid Rumored Kawhi Leonard Trade
The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday that they agreed to a multi-year contract extension with head coach Darko Rajaković.
Rajaković spent the past three seasons as the Raptors' head coach, and he reached the playoffs for the first time last season after leading Toronto to a 46-36 record.
On the heels of that performance, the Raptors opened their offseason with a big splash Tuesday, as they agreed to acquire Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-rounders, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Prior to being hired as head coach of the Raptors in 2023, Rajaković was head coach of the G League's Tulsa 66ers from 2012 to 2014, and he then enjoyed stints as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies.
When Rajaković arrived in Toronto, he took over a Raptors team that had been coached by Nick Nurse for the previous five seasons.
Nurse led the Raptors to their first and only championship his first year on the job, and he took them to the playoffs on three occasions.
Toronto went 41-41 and missed the playoffs in Nurse's final season, and things got even worse once Rajaković took over.
With records of 25-57 and 30-52, the Raptors missed the playoffs in each of Rajaković's first two seasons as head coach, so there was pressure to improve in 2025-26.
The Raptors did precisely that by reaching the postseason for the first time since 2022 behind the play of All-Stars Scottie Barnes and Ingram, as well as RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a host of others.
Although they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, the Raptors pushed the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games and acquitted themselves well.
Sensing an opportunity to take another step forward, the Raptors got aggressive with the Leonard trade, as they brought back the player who was chiefly responsible for their first and only championship.
Leonard played just one season in Toronto, but it was a magical one, as he was named 2019 NBA Finals MVP.
Kawhi left in free agency and spent the past seven seasons in L.A., but he returns to Toronto coming off one of his best seasons, as he averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2025-26.
With the Raptors potentially poised to become legitimate championship contenders in the Eastern Conference now that Leonard is back in the fold alongside Barnes and Co., locking up Rajaković with a contract extension and giving him some stability was a natural step.
