Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Raptors Notes: Ingram, Walter, Mamukelashvili, More

July 11th, 2025 at 5:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has been cleared for contact, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports reports (via Twitter). This marks a major step in Ingram’s rehab process as he continues to work his way back from an ankle injury that prevented him from playing for Toronto after the team traded for him at the 2024 trade deadline.

Lewenberg writes that Ingram has been participating in individual workouts with the Raptors during the offseason and will start scrimmaging in the next few days. Head coach Darko Rajakovic seems optimistic about the versatile wing’s return.

“He’s pain-free, he’s moving well, he got stronger. He’s in a really, really great spot,” Rajakovic said.

The Raptors traded a pair of rotation players along with a first-round draft pick and a second-round pick to acquire Ingram, who will be counted on to help them take the next step toward sustained competitiveness.

We have more on the Raptors:

Ja’Kobe Walter, the 19th pick in the 2024 draft, is coming into his sophomore season with 12 more pounds of muscle and a readiness to gain some momentum in Summer League, Lewenberg writes for TSN.ca. Walter was beset by injuries as a rookie that made it difficult to get his feet under him until near the end of the season, when things started to click. “That was my first time ever being injured and I got injured plenty of times last year,” Walter said. “It was definitely tough for me, but I learned that I love basketball.” While the Raptors’ starting five appears set, there’s a need for versatile wing contributors off the bench who can mesh with the starters, and a strong summer would go a long way toward cementing Walter’s place in that pecking order.
Sandro Mamukelashvili spoke on Friday about why he chose to join the Raptors and how the international connection matters to him. “Coach Darko is a European coach, understands European style of play,” Mamukelashvili said (Twitter link via Lewenberg). “A lot of young guys who want to get better, get to the next level together. Nothing better than to be part of something like that.” The 6’11” big man also talked about the journeyman start to his career and his search for a more permanent home. “I really want to prove that I’m a rotational piece, that I can be in the NBA for 10 years and leave my mark somewhere,” he said (Twitter link). The four-year veteran spent 65 games with the Bucks before playing the next two-and-a-half seasons with the Spurs. In 2024/25, he averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 11.2 minutes per game, while shooting 37.3% from three.
Rajakovic spoke on Thursday about the Raptors’ decision to fire former team president Masai Ujiri. “He brought a lot of success to the organization, but like a lot of things in life, those kinds of situations happen,” he said, per Lewenberg (via Twitter). “We’re going to miss him, but we’re very well equipped to continue moving forward.” Toronto has yet to replace Ujiri, but is expected to look at both internal and external candidates to find a new president.
Summer League wins might not count in the regular season standings, but that won’t stop the Raptors’ Summer League squad from gunning for the championship in Las Vegas, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. With a large portion of the roster made up of players hoping to be members of the regular season rotation, including Walter, Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo, and recent No. 9 overall pick Collin Murray-Boyles, the team recognizes its chance to develop chemistry and prove itself in the eyes of the team’s higher-ups. “We want to be the team that everybody thinks we should. I think, going into the summer league, we’re all excited to play. We’re all hungry,” Shead said after hosting a four-day training camp at his former high school in Austin, Texas.

David Roddy Signs With Raptors On Exhibit 10 Deal

July 10th, 2025 at 5:57pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Free agent forward David Roddy has been signed to the Raptors‘ training camp roster, the team announced via release. Roddy’s agreement is an Exhibit 10 deal, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports (via Twitter).

Roddy was most recently part of the NBA record seven-team trade involving Kevin Durant, having been flipped on his two-way deal from Houston to Atlanta. He was subsequently waived by the Hawks.

Roddy, 24, was the 23rd overall pick by the Grizzlies in the 2022 draft. He was part of Memphis’ rotation in his first year-and-a-half in the NBA, averaging 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game across 118 games (17 starts). However, midway through his sophomore season, he was traded from Memphis to Phoenix.

He didn’t break into the rotation in Phoenix and has since bounced around teams on 10-day and two-way contracts.

The Raptors now have 20 players under contract and have reportedly reached agreements to add Tyson Degenhart and Clifford Omoruyi on Exhibit 10 contracts. However, it’s possible those deals will be completed later in the offseason or during training camp, so there’s no immediate roster crunch in Toronto.

The Raptors do have 16 players on standard contracts (not counting Roddy), but two of those salaries aren’t fully guaranteed (Colin Castleton and A.J. Lawson), so one of those players is the most obvious cut candidate down the line. That doesn’t need to happen until closer to the regular season.

Roddy’s Exhibit 10 contract is non-guaranteed and could be converted to a two-way deal before the season. If he is waived, he would be in line for a bonus worth up to $85K if he spends at least 60 days with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate.

Raptors Sign Second-Rounder Alijah Martin To Two-Way Deal

July 10th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have signed guard Alijah Martin to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Toronto selected Martin 39th overall in last month’s draft after the 23-year-old helped Florida win a national championship in 2024/25.

Martin, who spent four years at Florida Atlantic prior to transferring to Florida, appeared in 38 games for the Gators last season, averaging 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 30.4 minutes per contest. He posted a shooting slash line of .452/.350/.761.

As our list of 2025 NBA draft pick signings shows, all of the second-round picks who were selected before Martin signed standard contracts with their respective teams. However, four of the six picks who were taken directly after the 6’2″ guard received two-way contracts, and now Martin has joined that group as well.

On his new two-way deal, Martin is eligible to be active in 50 of Toronto’s 82 regular season games next season. He will earn $636,435 in 2025/26, half of the rookie minimum.

Martin fills the Raptors’ third and final two-way spot, joining Ulrich Chomche and Chucky Hepburn.

Groups Set For 2025 NBA Cup

July 9th, 2025 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced the six groups of five teams apiece for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament (Twitter link).

In order to set the groups, the league splits the Western and Eastern Conferences into five three-team tiers based on last season’s regular season standings, with one club from each tier randomly drawn into each of the conference’s three groups.

For instance, the top three teams from the West will all be in separate groups, with each of those three groups also featuring one team in the 4-6 range, one in the 7-9 range, and so on.

Here are the groups for the 2025 NBA Cup:

West Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder (1), Minnesota Timberwolves (6), Sacramento Kings (9), Phoenix Suns (11), Utah Jazz (15)
West Group B: Los Angeles Lakers (3), Los Angeles Clippers (5), Memphis Grizzlies (8), Dallas Mavericks (10), New Orleans Pelicans (14)
West Group C: Houston Rockets (2), Denver Nuggets (4), Golden State Warriors (7), Portland Trail Blazers (12), San Antonio Spurs (13)
East Group A: Cleveland Cavaliers (1), Indiana Pacers (4), Atlanta Hawks (8), Toronto Raptors (11), Washington Wizards (15)
East Group B: Boston Celtics (2), Detroit Pistons (6), Orlando Magic (7), Brooklyn Nets (12), Philadelphia 76ers (13)
East Group C: New York Knicks (3), Milwaukee Bucks (5), Chicago Bulls (9), Miami Heat (10), Charlotte Hornets (14)

The round-robin group play games will be starting a little earlier than usual this season and will run from October 31 to November 28. Each team will face the other four clubs in its group once, with the winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference advancing to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.

The full schedule of group play games can be viewed right here.

The quarterfinals will be played on December 9-10, with the semifinals and final to follow on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively, in Las Vegas. The knockout round games will all be aired by one of the NBA’s new broadcasting partners, Amazon Prime.

The Bucks won last season’s NBA Cup, with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo earning MVP honors after leading Milwaukee to a victory over the Thunder in the championship game.

Contract Details: KPJ, J. Smith, Wiseman, Schröder, Stevens

July 8th, 2025 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the fact that the Bucks used their room exception to complete the signing, guard Kevin Porter Jr. received the exact value of the bi-annual exception on his new two-year deal, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. The first year is worth $5,134,000, with a second-year player option worth $5,390,700. The move leaves roughly $3.65MM on Milwaukee’s room exception.

A player who re-signs with his previous team on either a one-year contract or a two-year deal with a second-year option is typically awarded the right to veto a trade for the rest of that season. However, Porter is one of a few players, along with Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes, who have waived that right as part of their new deals.

Sixers guard Eric Gordon and Raptors wing Garrett Temple have also given up that right to veto a trade, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.

We have more details on some of the recently signed contracts from around the league:

Jabari Smith Jr.‘s five-year, $122MM rookie scale extension with the Rockets declines in the second season before increasing in each of the final three years, notes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. That dip in 2027/28 comes during the season in which an extension for Amen Thompson figures to be hitting Houston’s books — it could also be the final year of Kevin Durant‘s contract, if he signs a two-year extension with the team at some point.
James Wiseman‘s new two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Pacers, which features a second-year team option, is partially guaranteed for $1MM in 2025/26, Hoops Rumors has learned. If Wiseman’s option for ’26/27 is exercised, that year’s salary would be partially guaranteed for roughly $1.13MM.
Dennis Schröder‘s three-year deal with the Kings, which is worth exactly the three-year value of the mid-level exception ($44,427,600), is partially guaranteed for $4.35MM in the third year, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Although the contract fits into the MLE, Sacramento is believed to have used an existing trade exception to accommodate the acquisition of Schröder.
Isaiah Stevens‘ two-way contract agreement with the Kings will cover two years, according to Scotto (Twitter link).

Raptors Notes: Ujiri, Poeltl, Roster

July 6th, 2025 at 3:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Longtime Raptors team president Masai Ujiri, who was let go by the franchise the day after the draft, appeared on “Good Morning America” to promote his non-profit youth basketball organization Giants of Africa and addressed the end of his Toronto run this summer (YouTube video link).

The Raptors claimed their one and only franchise title with Ujiri running their front office in 2019, but have made just two playoff appearances in the six years since then.

“Twelve incredible years with the Toronto Raptors and I’m so grateful and thankful for the opportunity,” Ujiri said (hat tip to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca for the transcription via Twitter). “I love you, Toronto. A great part, great journey in my life. It’s time. Great things come to an end.”

The Raptors remain on the hunt for a long-term Ujiri replacement, even with the 2025 offseason well under way. Recently extended general manager Bobby Webster is among the candidates expected to interview for his former boss’ job.

There’s more out of Toronto:

Raptors center Jakob Poeltl inked a massive four-year, $104MM contract extension to remain in Toronto through 2029/30. Lewenberg, who hears from a source that the final season is partially guaranteed, contends in a TSN.ca story that the 29-year-old big man has become one the league’s most underrated players. Lewenberg acknowledges that Poeltl is more of a traditional five, without a three-point shot. However, he adds that the big man has been a solid two-way contributor who has made the team better when he’s on the court and is clearly a building block Toronto hopes can steward the team into its next era of contention.
The Poeltl extension points to the Raptors’ need to pay a bit of a premium for quality talent, notes The Athletic’s Eric Koreen. Koreen considers the Poeltl deal to be something of an overpay for a mid-career, non-All-Star center with Poeltl’s aforementioned offensive limitations, but acknowledges it may just be the price of doing business for a Toronto team hoping to claw its way back to respectability.
Given that Poeltl, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett are all signed to significant eight-figure contracts, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca notes that Toronto is hopeful the more cost-effective young players on the roster will emerge as reliable depth pieces.
In case you missed it, former Raptors assistant coach Sergio Scariolo will wrap up his tenure as Spain’s national team head coach after EuroBasket this summer and will reunite with Real Madrid as the Spanish club’s head coach for 2025/26.

Coaching Rumors: Knicks, Borrego, Shammgod, Magic, Mavs, More

July 2nd, 2025 at 8:49pm CST by Luke Adams

After being denied permission to speak to five NBA head coaches already under contract with rival teams, the Knicks shifted their focus to Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins, with Jenkins falling behind after “projecting less enthusiasm for the job,” writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

The team spoke to other candidates, including James Borrego and Micah Nori, and Ian Begley of SNY.tv confirms that South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley did, in fact, formally interview for the job as well. However, as Begley writes, the search was always expected to result in the Knicks hiring an experienced NBA head coach.

The Knicks ultimately decided Brown was their man in large part because they believe he’ll bring “leadership and collaboration” to the organization, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. Casey Powell (aka CP The Fanchise) of Knicks Fan TV (Twitter link) notes that the club is also confident in Brown’s ability to maximize the talent on the roster.

While Brown won’t be forced to retain any of the assistants who worked under Tom Thibodeau, the expectation is that a few will be back, according to Begley, who specifically identifies Rick Brunson, Darren Ermann, Mark Bryant, and Maurice Cheeks as strong candidates to remain in New York.

Brown is targeting Borrego for his lead assistant role, viewing him as an ideal offensive coordinator, Begley writes. However, as Marc Stein of The Stein Line notes (via Twitter), the Pelicans want to keep Borrego as their associate head coach and don’t necessarily have to let him leave for what would be a lateral move in terms of his title.

According to Stein (Twitter link), New Orleans previously denied permission to the Nuggets, who wanted to speak to Borrego about their lead assistant role under David Adelman.

Here are a few more coaching-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

As expected, Mavericks player development coach God Shammgod has reached a deal with the Magic to become an assistant on Jamahl Mosley‘s staff, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Rumors about Orlando’s interest in Shammgod, who had been in Dallas since 2019, had circulated since mid-June.
With Shammgod departing, keep an eye on Phil Handy and Mike Penberthy as possible candidates to join the Mavericks‘ staff under Jason Kidd, according to Stein (Twitter links). Both Handy and Penberthy were part of the Lakers’ staff alongside Kidd when Frank Vogel – Dallas’ new lead assistant – was the head coach in Los Angeles.
Omar Cooper Jr., the twin brother of former NBA guard Sharife Cooper and the son of Ace Bailey‘s agent Omar Cooper, is serving as a guest coach for the Jazz during Summer League, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Cooper Jr. is looking to get into coaching after wrapping up his college playing career at McNeese State this past season.
In announcing its 15-man roster for EuroBasket 2025, the Spanish national team confirmed that former Raptors assistant Sergio Scariolo will be stepping down from his role as Spain’s head coach after the event. BasketNews.com has the story, along with Spain’s roster, which includes Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama.

Raptors Waive Jared Rhoden

July 1st, 2025 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have waived guard Jared Rhoden, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log. He had been on a two-way contract.

Rhoden, who also spent time with the Hornets in 2024/25, appeared in 10 games as a Raptor, averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .506/.324/.880.

The 6’5″ guard bumped up those averages to 19.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.4 APG in 31.4 MPG on .507/.393/.648 shooting in 26 regular season outings for the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate.

However, Rhoden has spent the past few months in recovery mode, having undergone surgery in April to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The Raptors announced at the time that his recovery timeline would likely be about four to six months, so he won’t be able to play in Summer League, but could catch on with a team for training camp.

Toronto now has a pair of players on two-way contracts, with carryover Ulrich Chomche joined by undrafted rookie Chucky Hepburn, who finalized his deal earlier today. The team still has one two-way slot available.

Raptors Finalize Murray-Boyles, Hepburn Signings

July 1st, 2025 at 2:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Raptors have officially signed No. 9 overall draft pick Collin Murray-Boyles and finalized their reported agreement with two-way player Chucky Hepburn, per a pair of team press releases.

An All-SEC second teamer during his 2024/25 sophomore season at South Carolina, Murray-Boyles notched averages of 16.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 2.4 APG across 32 contests. His 58.6% field goal percentage paced the conference.

Murray-Boyles, a 6’7″ forward, will earn $6.33MM during the first season of his rookie scale deal and a total of $28.82MM across his first four pro years.

Despite being the 2025 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-ACC First Teamer at Louisville as a senior last year, Hepburn went undrafted last week. The 6’2″ guard was quickly snagged by Toronto. Across 34 games in 2024/25, Hepburn averaged 16.4 PPG, 5.8 APG and 3.5 RPG.

As a two-way player, Hepburn will likely split his time between Toronto and the team’s G League affiliate, the Raptors 905. He’ll be eligible to suit up for 50 regular season contests with Toronto before the team would need to elevate him to its standard roster.

Raptors, Jakob Poeltl Finalize Extension

July 1st, 2025 at 1:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

July 8: The Raptors and Poeltl have officially finalized their new contract agreement, the team announced in a press release.

“Jakob has developed into one of the league’s top two-way centers and signing him to an extension was a top priority this offseason. As valuable as he is on the floor, we also really appreciate his leadership and experience off-court,” general manager Bobby Webster said in a statement. “Jak shares our goals – he wants to win as much we do, and we’re thrilled he’ll be a Raptor for seasons to come.”

“Toronto has always felt like home for me – I want to be a Raptor for life. Thanks to Bobby and team ownership for believing in me, and to the fans for their amazing support,” Poeltl added in a statement of his own. “We have a young core that’s full of potential and I believe we’re ready to take the next step. I can’t wait to get together back on the Scotiabank Arena court.”

July 1: Veteran big man Jakob Poeltl will sign a contract extension with the Raptors, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Poeltl will pick up his $19.5MM player option for the 2026/27 season and add three more years to the deal.

According to Charania, the four years beyond ’25/26 will be worth $104MM in total, which means Poeltl is getting $84.5MM in new money on the three newly added seasons. That works out to roughly $28MM per season.

The deal includes a trade kicker, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), who states that Poeltl hopes to play the rest of his career in Toronto. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line adds (via Twitter) that the final year is only partially guaranteed for $5MM, though that there are triggers that could increase that partial guarantee.

Agents Michael Tellem and Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports considered several options for Poeltl, including an extension while declining the option, Charania adds (Twitter link), but the decision to opt in was made to give the Raptors more flexibility over the next two years.

The 29-year-old center put up career-best numbers this season, averaging 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds in 29.6 minutes per night, but he was limited to 57 games. Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports states (via Twitter) that Poeltl sat out games late in the season despite being healthy, which he likely wouldn’t have agreed to do unless he knew he had a new contract coming.

Poeltl has been the Raptors’ starting center since being acquired from San Antonio at the 2023 trade deadline. He’s a strong contributor on both ends of the court, shooting 62.7% from the field this season while posting 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

Toronto refused to include Poeltl in recent trade talks with Phoenix involving Kevin Durant. The Suns reportedly asked for Poeltl and received a “firm” no from the Raptors.

The new contract means Poeltl can’t be traded for the next six months, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).