Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Raptors, Eric Moreland Agree To One-Year Deal

September 18th, 2018 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

2:24pm: It’s an Exhibit 10 contract for Moreland, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Exhibit 10 deals can be converted into two-way contracts, so Moreland could be a candidate for Toronto’s second two-way slot.

1:47pm: The Raptors, who have one spot still available on their 20-man offseason roster, appear set to fill that opening with a former Piston. According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link), Toronto has agreed to terms with free agent big man Eric Moreland on a partially guaranteed one-year deal.

Moreland, 26, was leaned on as a rotation piece in Detroit last season after only playing sparingly for the Kings in two seasons earlier in his NBA career. In 2017/18, the forward/center averaged 2.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 67 contests (12.0 MPG) for the Pistons, emerging as a solid frontcourt option after Jon Leuer went down with an injury.

While Moreland’s new deal with the Raptors reportedly includes a partial guarantee, he’s no lock to make Toronto’s regular season roster. The club already has 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, and Lorenzo Brown – who has a sizable partial guarantee – is considered a strong bet to make the team as well. Moreland could vie for the 15th spot, but the in-the-tax Raptors may opt to start the season with just 14 players for financial reasons.

Lucas Nogueira To Sign With Spanish Team

September 17th, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Raptors center Lucas Nogueira will play in the Spanish League next season, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Nogueira is signing a deal today to play for Montakit Fuenlabrada, Carchia adds, and an official announcement is expected soon.

Nogueira spent the past four years in Toronto, but didn’t receive a qualifying offer when the season ended. That made him an unrestricted free agent, but there wasn’t much NBA interest in the 26-year-old. His fate in Toronto was sealed when the Raptors signed veteran big man Greg Monroe last month.

Nogueira peaked during the 2016/17 season when he averaged 4.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 57 games while playing about 19 minutes per night. His playing time was cut in half last season and he appeared in just 49 games.

Clippers The Top Destination For Kawhi Leonard Next Summer?

September 15th, 2018 at 9:57am CST by Mark Suleymanov

Before Kawhi Leonard has even suited up for the Raptors, his top destination in free agency next summer is the Clippers, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. During an appearance on 710 ESPN Mason and Ireland, Shelburne labeled the Clippers as Leonard’s top pick with the Raptors his second choice and Lakers coming in third.

The Los Angeles native has reportedly preferred to end up back home with either the Lakers or Clippers. Several reports over the past year suggested that Leonard’s preference was joining the Lakers, who already signed LeBron James.

After a tumultuous and injured-riddled 2017/18 in San Antonio, the Spurs dealt their superstar to Toronto earlier this summer. Based on several reports, Leonard is excited and prepared for the upcoming season. Just last month, we relayed that Leonard was “keeping an open mind” about his future with the Raptors.

Early impressions on Leonard out of the Toronto camp have been positive. Recently, assistant coach Phil Handy provided an update on Leonard, who missed most of last season with a quad injury.

“He’s doing great,” Handy said. “He’s in great shape. Body looks good, he’s feeling good, he’s moving well. I don’t anticipate any issues or any problems. He’s working hard and he’s a hard worker.”

Earlier this week, Leonard’s longtime teammate with the Spurs and current teammate with the Raptors, Danny Green, opined that the two-time Defensive Player of the Year would have a hard time leaving Toronto.

“The city of Toronto is gonna be hard to turn down after being there,” Green said.

Raptors Sign Kyle Collinsworth

September 14th, 2018 at 5:53pm CST by Chris Crouse

SEPTEMBER 14: The signing is official, according to RealGM transactions log.

SEPTEMBER 11: The Raptors will sign Kyle Collinsworth, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link). The pact will only be partially-guaranteed.

The addition of Collinsworth brings Toronto’s training camp roster to 18, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. The team has the ability to add two more players.

Collinsworth played 32 games for the Mavericks last season, seeing 15.0 minutes per contest. He scored just 3.2 points per game while struggling from behind the arc, just four of 17 shots from downtown.

Spurs Asked For Embiid Or Simmons For Leonard

September 14th, 2018 at 2:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before the Spurs agreed on a Kawhi Leonard trade package focused around DeMar DeRozan, they were asking for much bigger names from the Sixers, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe. (Hat tip to Dale Delgado of NBC Sports).

In his latest Lowe Post podcast, Lowe says Philadelphia turned down San Antonio offers that would have included Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons. The Sixers were reluctant to part with stars in exchange for a player who isn’t guaranteed to stay beyond this season, and Embiid and Simmons are probably untouchable in any circumstances.

Another name that popped up in rumors was Markelle Fultz, whose rookie season was cut short by a combination of injuries and problems with his shooting form. However, Lowe says the Spurs were never interested in the top pick in the 2017 draft.

“There is no evidence that the Spurs wanted Fultz,” Lowe said. “I’ve been told the Spurs never asked for Fultz, and actively didn’t want Fultz, and in fact wanted one of the two big guys.”

Sixers guard J.J. Redick, who was a guest on Lowe’s podcast, defended Fultz and claimed he was poorly treated by the media last season.

Green: Leonard Could Fall In Love With Toronto

September 13th, 2018 at 6:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Danny Green believes Kawhi Leonard will have a tough time leaving the city of Toronto once he settles in during his first season with the Raptors, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays. Green, who was included in the blockbuster deal that sent Leonard to Toronto, made the comment during an Inside the Green Room Podcast. “The city of Toronto is gonna be hard to turn down after being there. I’ve been going every summer for the past 10-plus years. It’s a great city and the fans are amazing. … I’m getting a great amount of feedback, a great amount of love and all types of different stuff from the fans. So it’s gonna be tough for him to turn down.” Leonard can opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Deng Adel To Sign With Raptors

September 13th, 2018 at 9:45am CST by Arthur Hill

Deng Adel has decided not to sign a training camp contract with the Timberwolves and will accept a partially guaranteed deal from the Raptors instead, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Adel was probably ticketed for the Wolves’ G League affiliate and liked the opportunity and money better with Toronto.

Adel went undrafted out of Louisville after averaging 15.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 2.8 APG during his junior season. He played for the Rockets’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.

The addition of Adel will give Toronto 19 players heading into training camp. The team has 13 players with fully guaranteed contracts.

Press Conference Set To Introduce Leonard, Green

September 10th, 2018 at 12:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors have scheduled a press conference for September 21 to introduce Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link). Both were acquired from the Spurs in a mid-July trade.

Raptors Assistant: Kawhi Leonard Is ‘Doing Great’

September 2nd, 2018 at 8:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors assistant coach Phil Handy provided an encouraging health update on Kawhi Leonard during a recent appearance on Toronto Talk Sports (hat tip to Mitch Robson of The Score).

Handy expressed confidence that Leonard has mostly overcome the issues with his quad that limited him to nine games with the Spurs last season.

“He’s doing great,” Handy said. “He’s in great shape. Body looks good, he’s feeling good, he’s moving well. I don’t anticipate any issues or any problems. He’s working hard and he’s a hard worker.”

The Raptors acquired Leonard from San Antonio in July and added Handy to their coaching staff shortly afterward. He served as an assistant with the Cavaliers for the past three years and was in charge of player development for the last two.

Handy also discussed Leonard’s recent workout with LeBron James and Kevin Durant and said Leonard is fully focused on the season ahead.

“He’s a gamer man,” Handy said. “He is a gamer. Players like that just want to compete. … However [his situation with the Spurs] played out, however it happened, he’s just looking forward to what’s next and what’s in front of him right now and [putting] his best foot forward for the Raptors organization this season.”

Greg Monroe A Summer Bargain?

August 30th, 2018 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

While the usual suspects like DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas top Jesse Blancarte’s Basketball Insiders list of this summer’s most team-friendly contracts, Blancarte also identifies Ed Davis (Nets), Greg Monroe (Raptors), and Seth Curry (Trail Blazers) as potential bargains.