It was a devastating defeat in Game 7, and the head coach had quite the postgame speech for his team.
The Toronto Raptors have their eyes set on improving in the 2026 NBA offseason after failing ot win their first playoff series since the Bubble in 2020. They were able to erase a three-year playoff drought, though, and pushed the heavily favored Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first-round series.
There are lots of questions surrounding the capabilities of this roster moving forward, and if it’s time to make a big splash to sway the team’s ability to contend. The current core, coached by Darko Rajakovic, made a big improvement this year by winning 16 more regular-season games than in 2025. This is largely due to the addition of now two-time All-Star Brandon Ingram, who was sent to the Raptors in a midseason trade last year.
Toronto Raptors guard/forward Brandon Ingram (3) | © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn ImagesRumors constantly swirled around the Raptors at the Feb. 5th trade deadline this season. There were several ties to potential stars and even superstars for Toronto because of their plethora of available draft picks and quality pieces in the starting lineup. However, no substantial moves were made, and it was reported that the franchise cornerstones wanted to play this season out with the current group to see how far they could go.
Chemistry is extremely important in team success, and that was exemplified by Rajakovic’s message to the team in the locker room immediately after the Game 7 defeat.
“You are amazing people, first of all,” said Rajakovic. “You care so much about each other. Your mind and heart is in right place, thinking how to help teammates, how to help your team. This was amazing journey this year, this was amazing journey. But I’ll tell you one thing, this is not the end. This is just the beginning. This is just the beginning of what we’re gonna make in the future right here … There was a lot for us that we had opportunity to learn from this and get better. All of this is gonna make us tougher and stronger and better. I’m really proud of every single person in this room … this group is going to stick together, and we’re gonna make that step next year. Love you all, love you all, I love you all from the deep of my heart.”
This touching message shows the dedication the Serbian head coach has to his young squad, who fought as hard as they could have to get to this point. It’s uncertain whether this will be the same core that begins the season this fall, but it’s clear that Rajakovic believes in this group and is excited to coach them all again.
Both Rajakovic and general manager Bobby Webster are up for extensions this offseason, and while the head coach has shown his ability to bring the most out of his young core, Webster has work to do in terms of putting the team in the best position to win. While he served as the general manager at the time of the Ingram trade, it was primarily driven by former executive Masai Ujiri. Webster passed up on his first opportunity to make a highly impactful move in his first trade deadline, so this summer serves as the next chance to improve the roster greatly.