Jrue Holiday

Northwest Notes: J. Williams, Randle, Holiday, Thybulle, Bailey

November 29th, 2025 at 5:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Williams was back on the court Friday night, adding another weapon to the Thunder’s already-potent lineup, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Returning to the starting lineup in his season debut, Williams scored 11 points in 29 minutes and handed out eight assists as Oklahoma City defeated Phoenix to advance to the next round of NBA Cup competition.

“Just pass the ball to the guys who’ve been playing was the goal for tonight,” Williams told reporters. “I’m also joining a team that’s 18-1 up until when I played, so you try to fit in a little bit offensively and not mess up the rotations. And then obviously (Isaiah Hartenstein) and Ajay (Mitchell) don’t play tonight either, so it’s like now our rotations are even more different. I’m just trying to pick and choose spots and mesh with what the team is doing.”

Friday marked the end of a long recovery process for Williams, who underwent surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in early July, shortly after the end of the NBA Finals. He needed a second procedure in late October to take out a screw that was causing irritation.

Martinez notes that Williams, who was a second-team All-Defensive selection last season, displayed his versatility in Friday’s game by serving as the primary defender on 10 different Phoenix players, ranging from point guard Collin Gillespie to center Mark Williams. He held them to a combined 3-of-14 from the field.

“Defense is very easy compared to offense, especially when you lose your right hand for five months,” Williams added. “I can always play hard defensively and figure it out from there. It’s going to take some time (with shooting). Like I said, I haven’t played in forever. … I’m still trying to figure my way out through my jump shot and dribbling and trying to get my touch back. That’s just something that’s got to progress throughout the season. But defensively, my feet feel fine and my wind is actually really good. I can always do that.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch plans to expand Julius Randle‘s role in the offense, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).“We need to put him more in the heart of what we’re doing,” Finch said at Friday’s practice, “and that’s a lot of things we worked on today.”
Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter said Jrue Holiday is “getting better” as he works his way back from a calf injury that has sidelined him for the past seven games, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. Holiday was able to participate in some non-contact drills at Saturday’s practice, but hasn’t received full clearance from the medical staff. Splitter added that Matisse Thybulle, who is recovering from thumb surgery and hasn’t played since October 26, is doing some shooting and ball-handling work, but also hasn’t been cleared for full contact.
Jazz rookie forward Ace Bailey is considered day-to-day after suffering a bruise on his right knee in Friday’s game, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

Blazers Announce Injury Updates On Henderson, Holiday

November 21st, 2025 at 7:49pm CST by Rory Maher

While third-year guard Scoot Henderson has made progress in his recovery from a torn left hamstring, he will be sidelined for at least two-to-four more weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release.

The update on the former No. 3 overall pick was expected, as Henderson recently told Jason Quick of The Athletic that his return wasn’t imminent and his return to basketball activities was considered “week to week.” The 21-year-old point guard initially sustained the injury in late September during a workout before training camp.

Veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who was initially questionable for Friday’s contest at Golden State prior to being ruled out for his fourth straight game (Twitter link), will miss at least one more week with a right calf strain. According to the Blazers, the two-time All-Star will be checked out again in one-to-two weeks.

Holiday, a six-time All-Defensive member, was off to a solid start in his first season with Portland prior to the injury, averaging 16.7 points, 8.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals on .446/.365/.840 shooting in 12 games (33.4 minutes per contest).

While the press release doesn’t say anything about shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe, he will missed Friday’s game as well. It will be the high-flying Canadian’s second consecutive absence. Sharpe is, at least for now, considered day-to-day, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link).

The Trail Blazers have been hit hard by backcourt injuries this fall. Henderson has yet to play in 2025/26; Blake Wesley is expected to miss extended time after undergoing foot surgery earlier this month; Matisse Thybulle is three weeks removed from thumb surgery which was expected to sideline him for four-to-six weeks; and Damian Lillard is out for the season with a torn Achilles, though the front office knew that when it re-signed Portland’s all-time leading scorer.

After a 5-3 start, the Blazers have dropped six of their past seven games and are currently 6-9.

“It’s just part of the game,” acting head coach Tiago Splitter said earlier this week, per Highkin. “We’ve got to adapt a little bit, and we will. Find ways to win basketball games just like everybody else. You’ve seen all the guys that are out lately [around the NBA], and the teams that adapt better to those situations are the teams that do well. So that’s what we’ve got to do.”

Highkin takes a look at some options the team might consider in the wake of all the guard injuries, including applying for a hardship exception. It’s unclear if the Blazers would be granted the exception, Highkin notes, as it will depend on how much more time Thybulle is expected to miss.

Western Notes: LeBron, Vincent, Draymond, Kuminga, Holiday, More

November 18th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

After participating in this morning’s shootaround, Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) has been upgraded to available for the first time since October 26, while LeBron James (sciatica) is being considered a game-time decision when the Lakers host the Jazz on Tuesday night, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.

James, who practiced with the Lakers on Monday, said his lungs felt “like a newborn baby” and that he was still working on getting his conditioning and his voice back to normal, writes Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group.

“I got to get my lungs back up to a grown man,” James said. “My voice is already gone. One day back, barking out calls and assignments and stuff, getting my voice working again. Be a lot of tea and rest (on Monday night).”

James’ record-setting 23rd NBA season has been delayed by sciatica on his right side, which forced him to miss the start of a season for the first time in his career. The 40-year-old told reporters, including Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times, that he also dealt with sciatica two years ago, referring to it as “not fun.”

“If you ever had it, you go about it and you wake up one day and you hope that when you step down from the bed that you don’t feel it,” LeBron said. “You go to bed at night, and you hope that when you’re in the bed that you don’t feel it. So I’ve been doing pretty good with it as of late. There’s a lot of exercises and a lot of mobility things and a lot of things you can do to help it. So I’m just keeping a positive mindset.”

James will go through his normal pregame routine in the hopes of playing on Tuesday, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link).

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Warriors forward Draymond Green wasn’t fined for his face-to-face altercation with a fan who was heckling him in New Orleans on Sunday (Twitter video link), but the NBA did issue a warning over the incident, a source tells Charania (Twitter link). “He just kept calling me a woman,” Green said of the fan after the game, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “It was a good joke at first but you can’t keep calling me a woman. I got four kids, one on the way; you can’t keep calling me a woman. He got quiet, though. So, it was fine.” The fan told The Associated Press that he was chanting “Angel Reese” at Green after the Warriors veteran rebounded several of his own missed shots.
Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (bilateral patellar tendonitis) will miss a third consecutive game on Tuesday when the team faces the Magic in Orlando, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. Reporting last week indicated that there are no structural concerns with Kuminga’s knees and that the forward’s absence should be “relatively short-term.”
Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday missed Sunday’s game – a loss to Dallas – and is listed as doubtful to play on Tuesday vs. Phoenix due to right calf soreness (Twitter link). As Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (subscription required) writes, Holiday’s absence on Sunday was especially impactful because so many of Portland’s other point guards are sidelined due to injuries too. “Jrue is our core,” Blazers forward Deni Avdija said. “I feel like he does everything on the floor. He puts us in our positions. He’s a real true point guard and a leader. When he’s out of the game, it’s definitely felt.”
Jahmai Mashack‘s new two-way contract with the Grizzlies is for two years, while Jamaree Bouyea‘s two-way deal with the Suns is for the rest of the season, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Bouyea was ineligible for a two-year contract because this will be his fourth season in the NBA.

Celtics Notes: Brown, White, Walsh, Simons

November 8th, 2025 at 9:47am CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaylen Brown believes the officials are making a point against him. The Celtics forward ripped the officiating after a late no-call against Utah on Monday and he felt that played a role in Boston’s loss to Orlando on Friday.

“I think in the fourth quarter, I think the officials made their point,” Brown said, per Jay King of The Athletic. “So I get it. I’ll keep my mouth closed.”

Boston held a one-point lead midway through the fourth quarter on Friday but lost by 13. Brown finished with 32 points but only shot two free throws.

“In the fourth quarter, I missed some good looks that I could have got my feet set just a little bit more,” Brown said. “And then it compounded, turned into some turnovers, and then they scored. For our team, they probably need me to make those shots. I’m human. If I shoot a shot and I feel good about it, I feel good, but you know, I’ve got to be a little better, I guess.”

We have more on the Celtics:

Should the Celtics have traded Derrick White instead of Jrue Holiday during their salary-shedding offseason? Brian Robb of Masslive.com tackles that question in his latest mailbag. Robb believes that Boston would have gotten a bigger haul for White but that Holiday’s contract would have still been an albatross for the organization. White’s four-year, $118MM contract extension kicked in this season; Holiday, 35, is in the second year of a four-year, $134.4MM deal that includes a player option.
Swingman Jordan Walsh has gotten some playing time this month, averaging 6.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per contest. A 2023 second-round pick, Walsh is increasingly gaining coach Joe Mazzulla’s trust. “He just chips away at it,” Mazzulla said, per Robb. “Again, that was a high-level of professionalism to be ready, and he just every day treats it as if he’s going to play. So I think that mindset is kind of what you have to have, and he handled it well, and he’s got to keep that up. But he works at the same pace regardless of if he’s playing or not, and that says a lot.”
Anfernee Simons, acquired from Portland in the Holiday trade, played sparingly in the first half at Orlando. Simons, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, bounced back and contributed 11 fourth-quarter points. “I thought he responded pretty well,” Mazzulla said, per Souichi Terada of Masslive.com. “I thought he was more aggressive in the second half. There was no message there. He just has an understanding of what we have to do on both ends of the floor. I thought he did a much better job of that in the second half.”

Jerami Grant To Come Off Bench For Blazers

October 21st, 2025 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers‘ starting lineup when their season tips off on Wednesday vs. Minnesota will consist of Jrue Holiday and Shaedon Sharpe in the backcourt, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija at forward, and Donovan Clingan in the middle, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report.

That means forward Jerami Grant will come off the bench for the first time since joining the Blazers in 2022 — and the first time since he was a member of the Nuggets during the 2019/20 season.

Grant, who was traded from Detroit to Portland during the 2022 offseason, has started all 164 games he has played for the team since then, averaging 18.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 34.1 minutes per game across those three seasons.

The 31-year-old is the second-highest-paid player on the roster, just behind Holiday, and remains under contract for at least two more years beyond this one, with a player option for 2027/28. However, he has been surpassed on the depth chart by Camara and Avdija, two younger players who look like long-term fixtures in Portland. Camara just signed a four-year contract extension with the team and is locked up through 2029/30, while Avdija has three guaranteed years left on his deal.

Asked about the possibility of coming off the bench at media day last month, Grant replied, “I don’t really expect that.” He later sought to clarify that he wouldn’t become disgruntled if he doesn’t end up starting, indicating that he’d be “fine” with it.

While the Blazers’ decision to move Grant out of the starting five doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given the way that Camara and Avdija have emerged, it’s still a situation worth keeping an eye on during the first half of the season. The veteran forward looks like a potential trade candidate, but he has three years and $102.6MM left on his contract and is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he was limited to 47 games, so his value on the trade market would be extremely limited right now.

Blazers Notes: Lillard, Henderson, Grant, Camara, Clingan, More

September 29th, 2025 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked at the Trail Blazers‘ media day on Monday if there’s any scenario in which he plays this season, Damian Lillard admitted it’s hard to envision making it back from his Achilles tear before the 2026/27 campaign.

“I don’t plan on it,” Lillard said of playing in ’25/26, per Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link). “I feel like if this team is a one seed (without me), they probably got it. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible.”

Lillard added that the trainers and other players who have sustained Achilles injuries who have spoken to him about the recovery process have stressed patience and suggested that he shouldn’t be trying to make it back “in record time” (Twitter link via Highkin).

Although he almost certainly won’t be suiting up for the Trail Blazers this season, Lillard will still be one of the 15 players on the team’s standard roster, which head coach Chauncey Billups believes puts the longtime star point guard in a unique position when it comes to mentoring Portland’s younger players.

“He’s not a coach. He’s still a player. There’s a different level of connectivity that comes with that,” Billups said, noting that he wants Lillard to “keep a really close eye” on Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Scoot Henderson (Twitter link via Highkin).

Henderson, like Lillard, will be unavailable when the season begins, though his hamstring injury is only projected to keep him out for the start of the season, not all of it. Speaking on Monday to reporters, he referred to the injury as a “freak accident” and “minor setback” and said he’s still feeling positive about the season (Twitter links). Billups noted it’s a disappointing turn of events for the former No. 3 overall pick because he’d had an “incredible summer” prior to the injury (Twitter link).

Here’s more from the Blazers’ media day, via Highkin:

Billups said on Monday that there are “a lot of ways” the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup could go this fall and that the players who want starting jobs will have to earn them (Twitter link). Interestingly, when forward Jerami Grant was asked about the possibility of coming off the bench, he replied, “I don’t really expect that” (Twitter link). There had been some speculation this offseason that Grant could be asked to accept a reserve role due to the emergence of young forwards Avdija and Toumani Camara.
Speaking of Camara, he’s eligible to sign a contract extension but said on Monday that he’s leaving that up to his agent. “I’m just focused on basketball,” Camara said (Twitter link). “I’m trying to stay away from that right now. If I take care of my business on the court, everything will work itself out.”
With Deandre Ayton no longer in Portland, second-year center Donovan Clingan will be looking to play a major role. He said on Monday that he has worked on improving his conditioning and is aiming to average 30-plus minutes per night (Twitter link). Rookie big man Yang Hansen will be among the players vying for minutes in the middle, with Billups referring to the No. 16 overall pick as “right there in the mix” for minutes. “I think Hansen’s done a really good job of getting situated and understanding what we’re doing,” Billups said (Twitter link). “He’s definitely going to play.”
Big man Robert Williams, who underwent a procedure on his knee in March and has been limited to 26 games in two seasons since arriving in Portland, said he’s not sure when he’ll be cleared to play, though he and the training staff have a target date in mind (Twitter links).
Jrue Holiday and Matisse Thybulle are among the players who expressed enthusiasm on Monday about the defensive potential of the Blazers’ roster (Twitter links). “Playing games in your mind of what lineups we can put out there is pretty fun,” Thybulle said. “We have a few All-Defense-level players. I think we can put some ridiculous lineups out there.”

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Grousbeck, Chisholm, Training Camp, Simons

September 27th, 2025 at 9:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required), Jayson Tatum said the realization that he won’t be able to play for several more months — or possibly the entire season — is sinking in as key dates on the calendar get closer. As the Celtics prepare to open training camp, Tatum is still recovering from the Achilles tear he suffered in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, which marked the first long-term injury of his career.

“At first I was sad, I was devastated,” he said. “I was defeated. I felt like it wasn’t fair. I felt I was doing everything right, I was doing everything they asked of me and giving 110 percent and I never cheated the game since I was a kid, so it felt like I got betrayed from the game. It felt unfair and I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t feel angry but you get to the point where you accept. Now is the tough part because you’ve got media day on Monday and practice on Tuesday and it’s becoming a reality that I won’t be out there to practice and play when the season starts and that’s frustrating to have to live through.”

Washburn notes that 19 weeks have passed since the injury, and Tatum has returned to walking normally. He’s also consulting with players who are going through the same process, such as Tyrese Haliburton, Dejounte Murray and Damian Lillard. Tatum vows that the time away from the court will motivate him whenever he’s able to resume playing.

“It’s a long process,” he said. “At first you don’t feel like yourself because you’re stationary. You’ve got a splint on, you got the boot and then the crutches and a walker and a shower seat. It’s hard to feel like yourself. Once I got out of the boot was the moment I started feeling normal again, you’re putting on a shoe, starting to work out, you’re traveling again and you’re starting to get into better spirits. You are starting to feel like yourself.”

There’s more from Boston:

Former Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, who is remaining with the organization as alternate governor and CEO, said at a news conference on Thursday that the cost-cutting trades of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis would have been necessary even if the team hadn’t been sold this summer, relays Christopher L. Gasper of The Boston Globe. Grousbeck also reminded reporters that he was part of the committee that created the new collective bargaining agreement that made the moves necessary. At the same event, new owner William Chisholm promised that he’ll try to add to the Celtics’ collection of NBA titles, per Jimmy Golen of The Associated Press. “Let’s do whatever we can to win championships and raise banners, and raise as many as we can,” Chisholm said. “I will do whatever it takes, whatever the Boston Celtics need me to do.”
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe offers a preview of training camp, focusing on the battle for playing time at center, Jaylen Brown‘s increased responsibilities and the expectations for Anfernee Simons, whose time in Boston could be short as he enters the final year of his contract.
Simons’ $26MM salary limits the Celtics’ trade options right now, but opportunities could open up as the season plays out, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Robb suggests that Simons is unlikely to ever get the kind of long-term deal he wants in Boston, so his best outcome would be to get traded to a team willing to invest in him.

Jrue Holiday ‘Excited’ About Joining Blazers, Not Thinking About Retirement

September 22nd, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Although one report in June claimed that Jrue Holiday wasn’t thrilled about being traded from Boston to Portland, there has been no indication since then that the veteran guard is unhappy about his new situation. Speaking to DJ Siddiqi of RG.org, Holiday expressed enthusiasm about the coming season and about the talent on the Trail Blazers‘ roster.

“The goal is to win and to make some noise,” Holiday said. “I think that after the last few years of what has happened after Damian Lillard being traded — and then now Dame’s back — I think it’s an exciting time here in Portland. It’s an exciting time to be a Trail Blazer, and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Holiday, who has three years and $104.4MM left on his contract, was traded straight up for Anfernee Simons, who is on an expiring $27.7MM deal. It was a financially motivated move for the Celtics. For Portland, it was an opportunity to bring in a championship-winning veteran to lead by example for the team’s rising young guards, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, who are 21 and 22 years old, respectively.

“I don’t think y’all understand, like, Scoot and Shaedon are so athletic and so smart the way that they play the game,” Holiday told Siddiqi. “They’re going to be so good, and I feel like all they need is time. I feel like the time is now, because they have all the tools. I’m super excited to play with them.”

Holiday won’t be the only veteran mentor for those young guards — Lillard returned to the Blazers this summer after spending two years in Milwaukee, and head coach Chauncey Billups is a Hall of Famer who made five All-Star teams and won an NBA Finals MVP as a point guard. Holiday is looking forward to teaming up with both of them, noting that he admired how Billups played the game.

“I’m old enough to have watched him play,” Holiday said. “He was one of the guys who I wouldn’t necessarily say mirrored my game after. But I felt like I played similar to how he played. He was very smart, he was obviously more than solid on one side of the ball. The way that he thinks the game, I feel like I think the game the same way. … How he controlled the game just from his personality, and you can see as a coach, he’s kind of brought that over from as a player to a coach and instilled it.”

Billups spent 17 seasons playing in the NBA, which will be the benchmark that Holiday reaches in 2025/26. However, asked by Siddiqi how much longer he wants to play, the former UCLA standout suggested that retirement isn’t in his short-term plans.

“Just kind of going with it,” Holiday said. “I’ve been blessed enough to play for this long, and I’ve never taken that for granted. I know this is a dream come true for most young kids, but I know 17 years is a dream come true for any 35-year-old who gets a chance to stay as healthy as possible and to play the game that they love. I’ll just continue playing until I can’t anymore.”

Celtics Notes: Brown, Chisholm, Boucher, Hauser

September 13th, 2025 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics appear likely to take a step backward in 2025/26 due to Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles injury and the loss of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who were both shipped out in cost-cutting moves. However, Jaylen Brown expressed optimism about the upcoming season in an interview this week on V-103 FM in Atlanta, relays Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe.

“I know Boston, it looks gloomy right now, obviously with JT being out and us kind of ending the year, but it’s a lot to look forward to,” Brown said. “I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

Being in his hometown, Brown received a question about possibly joining the Hawks someday. With four years left on his $304MM super-max extension, it’s not a realistic possibility anytime soon, but Brown left the door open. When host Darian Morgan said he’d like to see Brown in a Hawks uniform, the Celtics star replied, “I feel you. I think my grandma would too.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

New majority owner William Chisholm shares Brown’s outlook about the team’s prospects, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Chisholm believes other players will seize the opportunity to replace the stars who are no longer available. “I think they’re going to surprise some people,” Chisholm said. “I think this is a good team and I think we have a really good coach and a really good president of basketball operations. I think Payton Pritchard said it in an interview, that we’re going to surprise some people, and I think there’s real talent here that hasn’t been fully realized.”
Newly acquired Chris Boucher may be the favorite going into camp to win the starting job at power forward, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Coach Joe Mazzulla’s handling of the four spot should provide an indication of how he plans to approach the season, Robb adds. Using the 6’9″ Boucher alongside Neemias Queta would give the team more size on defense and better rebounding. Another option is to start shooting specialist Sam Hauser, which would satisfy Mazzulla’s tactical reliance on a three-point barrage but would leave the Celtics vulnerable in other areas. Robb mentions Josh Minott as a potential wild card who could wind up earning regular minutes.
Second apron concerns mean Holiday and Porzingis would likely have been traded even if Tatum hadn’t gotten injured, but some other moves might have played out differently, Robb adds in the same piece. He believes Al Horford or Luke Kornet would have been re-signed if Tatum had been healthy, and the Celtics might have made a stronger effort to add low-cost veteran free agent depth.

Raptors Rumors: Webster, Trade Talks, Barrett

August 21st, 2025 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

It didn’t come as a surprise to people around the NBA that the Raptors ultimately named general manager Bobby Webster their permanent head of basketball operations, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said in a live stream on Wednesday (YouTube link). In fact, according to Fischer, the only surprise during the process was that Toronto publicly announced a search for a new top executive after parting ways with president Masai Ujiri.

“Someone I consult with who is involved in (executive) search firm stuff was taken aback by the fact that was even put out publicly,” Fischer said. “He was taking it – and the league was taking it – as a foregone conclusion that Bobby Webster would be running the show.”

The Raptors, who traded away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby during the 2023/24 season, have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, but the expectation is that they’ll be more competitive going forward, per Fischer.

“The Raptors have definitely been given some type of formal pressure, some type of direction from their new leadership of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment to end this sort of rebuild era they’ve been in,” Fischer said, adding that the team will be aiming to claim a top-six playoff spot this season, not simply make the play-in tournament.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Following up on rumors from earlier in the offseason, Fischer confirmed that the Raptors were having trade discussions involving the No. 9 overall pick leading up to the draft and talked to the Celtics, among other teams. “They had conversations with Boston about both Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, trying to figure out ways to add either veteran into their backcourt,” Fischer said. Toronto ultimately kept the No. 9 pick and used it to select Collin Murray-Boyles.
While he acknowledged that it’s hard to predict trade-deadline activity in August, Fischer suggested that he fully anticipates the Raptors will continue seeking win-now help during the 2025/26 season. “I have the Raptors already earmarked as a buyer,” he said. “Now, if things go awry (or) if there’s something injury misfortune, maybe the Raptors don’t fully go that direction. But if everything goes as intended, if they’re faring night after night in the standings as they hope to be, as they intend to be, I’ve got the Raptors as a buyer.”
Veteran forward RJ Barrett looks like the top trade candidate on Toronto’s roster, according to Fischer, who noted that Barrett came up in the Brandon Ingram trade talks with the Pelicans in February, but New Orleans didn’t have much interest in him. “RJ Barrett’s representation is fully aware that he is someone that could be discussed in trades moving forward for the Raptors,” Fischer said.
In case you missed it, we took a closer look over the weekend at the Raptors’ offseason so far.

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