Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Raptors Sign Sandro Mamukelashvili

July 1st, 2025 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

July 3: The Raptors have officially signed Mamukelashvili, per NBA.com’s transaction log. Since non-minimum contracts can’t be signed during the July moratorium, we now have confirmation that the big man will be on a minimum deal.

July 1: The Raptors have made a deal to fortify their frontcourt, agreeing to terms with free agent forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili on a two-year contract worth $5.5MM, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The deal will include a second-year player option, Charania adds. It will likely be a minimum-salary contract that’s being rounded up from about $5.26MM.

Mamukelashvili, 26, has spent the past two-and-a-half seasons in San Antonio after a stint with the Bucks earlier in his NBA career. He has been productive with the Spurs but has played limited minutes, including in 2024/25, when he made 61 appearances but averaged just 11.2 minutes per night. He put up 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in that role off the bench.

Mamukelashvili’s most memorable night came on March 19 when he went off for 34 points and nine rebounds in just 19 minutes of action against New York. He made 13-of-14 shots from the floor, including all seven of his three-pointers.

The Raptors had been in the market for a frontcourt addition with Chris Boucher in free agency. Mamukelashvili figures to vie for minutes behind starting center Jakob Poeltl.

Free Agency Notes: Rockets, Ty. Jones, Heat, Raptors, More

June 30th, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets are diligently working secure meetings with Dorian Finney-Smith, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard when free agency gets underway at 5:00 pm CT, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Houston is viewed as the frontrunner to land Finney-Smith after the veteran forward declined his $15.4MM player option and didn’t immediately work out a new deal with the Lakers. Marc Stein has reported multiple times that the Rockets are prepared to offer the 32-year-old a four-year deal worth most of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

Alexander-Walker, meanwhile, is expected to leave Minnesota after the Timberwolves agreed to lucrative new contracts with Naz Reid and Julius Randle. The Hawks have been rumored as the favorite to acquire the versatile guard, but several teams are said to be interested in his services.

Atlanta is also rumored to have interest in Kennard, who is the third-most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history at 43.8%. He has spent the past two-plus seasons in Memphis, but is expected to leave the Grizzlies in free agency.

Here are a few more free agency-related notes and rumors:

The Knicks could be a suitor for point guard Tyus Jones, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link). “Tyus Jones is a name that I’m keeping an eye on,” Begley said. “Last summer, there was mutual interest…Jones was even willing to take a pay cut to come to New York. He ended up choosing Phoenix thinking it would be a very good situation for him — didn’t work out, so he’s back on the market.” New York can likely only offer the taxpayer mid-level exception or the veteran’s minimum, Begley notes.
The Magic also expressed prior interest in Tyus Jones and he could be a good fit with Orlando depending on how much money he’s seeking in free agency, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. If it’s not Jones, the Magic will likely look to add a different veteran point guard to improve their shooting and offense, Robbins writes.
Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald released a guide for some of the options the Heat could explore in free agency. According to Chiang, guard Dru Smith is expected to return to Miami on a two-way deal after he was issued a two-way qualifying offer, but he has yet to accept that QO. Smith was on the verge of being promoted to a standard contract last season before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in late December.
As of now, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca expects the Raptors to be “fairly quiet” in free agency (Twitter link). Toronto will likely fill out the end of its roster with minimum-salary deals. A veteran extension for starting center Jakob Poeltl remains a possibility as well, Grange adds.
Zach Kram of ESPN.com lists seven “underrated players” who are about to hit the open market, including Chris Boucher, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Trent Jr.

Scotto’s Latest: Alexander-Walker, Richards, Capela, Kennard, Shamet

June 30th, 2025 at 10:34am CST by Arthur Hill

Echoing multiple reports, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that the Hawks and Pistons are considered to be the front-runners for Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but he lists other contenders as well. League sources tell Scotto that the Clippers and Raptors remain in pursuit of Alexander-Walker along with other teams. He adds that the Magic were also interested before trading for Desmond Bane.

Toronto may be a surprise considering its position near the bottom of the standings this year, but the Raptors are reportedly determined to make a quick turnaround. Scotto notes that Alexander-Walker is a Toronto native and the franchise has a history of bringing in Canadian players, with four on the roster this season.

Scotto talked with several executives around the league who expect Alexander-Walker to sign for at least the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception. League sources told Scotto they don’t expect him to return to the Wolves after they reached new deals with Naz Reid and Julius Randle.

Scotto shares more rumors as the start of free agency draws near:

Center Nick Richards appears to be a trade candidate after the Suns drafted Khaman Maluach and agreed to acquire Mark Williams from Charlotte. Richards’ $5MM contract for next season became fully guaranteed on Sunday, and Scotto hears from league sources that the Knicks, Pacers and Lakers are among the teams with interest.
Clint Capela isn’t expected to return to the Hawks in the wake of the Kristaps Porzingis deal, and Scotto lists the Clippers, Lakers and Spurs as teams to watch for the free agent center.
Sources tell Scotto that Luke Kennard is likely to move on from the Grizzlies. The 29-year-old guard is one of the league’s top three-point shooters.
The Knicks would like to keep free agent guard Landry Shamet, but he’s being eyed by several contending teams, Scotto adds.

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Pacers, Mathurin, Raptors, Bucks

June 29th, 2025 at 8:16am CST by Luke Adams

As the Celtics considered how to navigate the tax aprons for the 2025/26 league year entering this offseason, one option they explored was to try to identify prospects who might be willing to accept 80% of the rookie scale amount for the No. 28 pick, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

After the NBA sets its rookie scale for first-round picks each year, a player is permitted to sign for as little as 80% and as much as 120% of that amount. Almost every player receives the full 120%, to the point that the league sets the default cap hold for a first-round pick at that 120% figure.

However, it’s not unheard of for a player to settle for less, especially in his first season — a year ago, for instance, the Knicks were able to sign No. 25 pick Pacome Dadiet for 80% of his typical rookie scale amount. That helped New York navigate a hard cap for the rest of the season, and Dadiet will receive 120% of the rookie scale for the remainder of his deal, starting in 2025/26.

The player that Boston ultimately selected at No. 28, Spanish forward Hugo Gonzalez, didn’t agree to accept that 80% rate, Fischer notes. It remains to be seen whether he’ll receive the full 120%.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

After expressing a willingness during their NBA Finals run to enter the luxury tax next season for the first time in two decades in 2025/26, the Pacers may rethink that approach with Tyrese Haliburton expected to miss all of next season while recovering from Achilles surgery. League sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic that the Pacers are “still deciding how to handle their financial future.”
Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) considers Bennedict Mathurin‘s case for a rookie scale extension this offseason, pointing out that – with Haliburton out for next season – the fourth-year Pacers guard may get an opportunity to play more of a featured role, which could boost his value ahead of restricted free agency in 2026.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca evaluates what’s next for the Raptors in the wake of their split with longtime top executive Masai Ujiri and suggests some potential candidates for the newly opened president role.
Bucks assistant general manager Milt Newton said on Thursday night that the team was “really ecstatic” about Bogoljub Markovic still being on the board at No. 47, adding that the team had been scouting the Serbian forward for four years. As Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes, when asked about the Bucks’ decision to draft a teenager with their only 2025 pick after taking a pair of them in last year’s draft, Newton noted that Markovic has been playing professionally overseas and might not be more than a year or two away from playing an NBA role. “We also look at upside,” Newton added. “To have a player with that length, who can do the things that he can do, those are all transferable, translatable things that you can do in the NBA.”

Garrett Temple Re-Signs With Raptors

June 28th, 2025 at 7:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

July 1: Temple has officially re-signed with the Raptors, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

June 28: Swingman Garrett Temple will return to the Raptors on a one-year, $3.6MM contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s a minimum-salary deal for Temple in his 16th NBA season.

Temple, who turned 39 last month, has been a veteran leader with a limited on-court role since signing with Toronto in 2023. He has appeared in 27 and 28 games the past two years and averaged 1.9 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 8.1 minutes per night in 2024/25.

The Raptors are the 12th NBA team for Temple, whose career began when he signed with Houston after going undrafted in 2009.

Temple will be the 12th guaranteed contract for the Raptors, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter link). In addition, Jamison Battle has a $977,689 guarantee on his $1,955,377 salary for the upcoming season, which will become fully guaranteed on July 1. He’s due to make $2.3MM in 2026/27, but none of that is guaranteed if he gets released.

Toronto also has to determine whether to give a roster spot to Alijah Martin, who was the 39th pick in this week’s draft.

Raptors Notes: Ujiri, Webster, Murray-Boyles, Martin

June 27th, 2025 at 10:34pm CST by Eli Cohen

The timing of the Raptors‘ announcement that they’re parting ways with president Masai Ujiri was met with some confusion on Friday morning, but according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, that decision was mutually made between the two parties.

As Grange relays (via Twitter), Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Keith Pelley told reporters on Friday that he met with Ujiri a month ago and the two came to an agreement that any change in leadership would happen after the draft, so as not to disrupt the draft evaluation process.

Ujiri spearheaded the Raptors for 12 years, including making the trades for Kawhi Leonard and Marc Gasol that helped turn the team into the 2019 NBA champions. He leaves the Raptors with a win-loss record of 545-419.

Pelley also confirmed that general manager Bobby Webster will interview for the newly vacant president position, per Grange (via Twitter). However, Pelley emphasized the importance of an exhaustive, wide-ranging search, telling reporters, “The president of an NBA franchise is always a big deal.”

Webster and assistant general manager Dan Tolzman are among the Raptors executives who recently received contract extensions that weren’t announced until today, notes Marc Stein of the Stein Line (Substack link). Stein adds that the high salaries that Ujiri and former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan were earning are believed to have factored “strongly” into MLSE’s decision to let go of both execs in recent weeks.

We have more news from the Raptors:

Ujiri served not only as a team-builder in Toronto but also as an energetic figurehead for the fan base and players alike, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who says Friday’s move opens the team to questions about how much of the change was motivated by changes in power structures at the ownership group MLSE. Koreen points to Edward Rogers, who became the most powerful person at MLSE last year, and his fractious relationship with Ujiri as a key factor. During his Friday media session, Pelley refuted the idea that the team will necessarily suffer from Ujiri’s departure. “When you create a brand, when you create a culture, if it is mitigated when that individual is no longer involved, then the culture and the brand has not been created in the right way,” he said. “And I believe that the way that (Ujiri) has built the brand and the way that he has created the culture is something that we as an organization at MLSE cherish and need now to build upon, and that will be something critical for the next president coming in.”
After taking Collin Murray-Boyles at No. 9 on Wednesday, the Raptors are setting themselves up for further roster changes, Koreen opines. While Murray-Boyles is a very talented player, Koreen writes that it’s hard to overlook his size and/or skill-set overlap with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, and Jonathan Mogbo. Webster confirmed that he doesn’t necessarily see this roster as a final product, saying, “I think we’re not so worried about position as we try to find these players. Obviously teams change a lot, and you can trade, there’s a lot of different movement there.” It’s important, per Webster, that players like Murray-Boyles and Barnes have high basketball IQs, which can mitigate some of the warts that could arise when they play together.
Josh Lewenberg of TSN suggests that the Raptors played it safe with the Murray-Boyles selection, opting for a player with a stable floor of defense and passing, rather than taking a bigger swing on higher-variance prospects, such as Khaman Maluach or Noa Essengue. However, Lewenberg adds that Murray-Boyles fits the tough-as-nails identity that helped propel a team like the Thunder to the championship. “The intensity ratchets up and defence is so much more important, which is why I think [coach Darko Rajakovic] and our coaching staff preach that so much, knowing that someday we’re hoping to be in that situation,” Tolzman said. “Those are the types of guys we’re looking for.”
That exact mindset is what led the Raptors to second-round pick Alijah Martin, writes Grange, who says that by choosing Martin at 39, Toronto doubled down on gritty, physical defense. “He’s got a lot of room for growth still. One of those guys, get him in our program and see what he can do. He’s going to fight for everything he can get,” Tolzman said of Martin.
Grange notes that Martin averaged 1.3 steals per game over four years as a starter and helped lead Florida to the NCAA championship this season. Martin, for his part, described himself as the ultimate role player. “As a defender, you gotta lay your body on the line. My best attribute defensively is my ability to match your body up, being able to stay mentally poised,” he said.

Omoruyi, Degenhart Joining Raptors On Exhibit 10 Deals

June 27th, 2025 at 9:54am CST by Rory Maher

A pair of undrafted free agents are signing non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Raptors for training camp in the fall.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link), Alabama big man Clifford Omoruyi will be joining Toronto. Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com confirms (via Twitter) that Omoruyi is signing an Exhibit 10 deal.

Former Boise State forward Tyson Degenhart tells B.J. Rains of Bronco Nation News that he has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Raptors as well (Twitter link).

A Nigerian center, Omoruyi spent his first four college seasons at Rutgers, earning Big 10 All-Defensive honors in back-to-back years (2023 and 2024) prior to transferring to Alabama. As fifth-year senior in 2024/25, he averaged 7.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 19.2 minutes per game across 37 appearances for the Crimson Tide.

Omoruyi was No. 66 on ESPN’s big board entering the draft, but was not ranked on Sam Vecenie of The Athletic‘s top-100 guide.

As for Degenhart, he spent four years with the Broncos, averaging 18.3 PPG and 6.1 RPG on .526/.349/.797 shooting in 37 games last season as a senior (33.6 MPG). He was unranked by both ESPN and The Athletic.

Exhibit 10 deals enable players to receive a bonus worth up to $85K if they’re waived before the season begins and spend at least 60 days with their team’s G League affiliate (Raptors 905). E10s can also be converted into two-way contracts.

Raptors Part Ways With Team President Masai Ujiri

June 27th, 2025 at 9:05am CST by Rory Maher

9:05 am: The Raptors have put out a press release officially confirming that they’ve parted ways with Ujiri.

“During his 13 seasons with the Raptors, Masai has helped transform the organization on the court and has been an inspirational leader off it,” MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley said in a statement. “He brought an NBA Championship to Toronto and urged us to believe in this city, and ourselves. We are grateful for all he has done and wish him and his family the very best. As we plan for the franchise’s future, and its return to the NBA Playoffs, a search for the successor as president of the Raptors, led by CAA Executive Search, will begin immediately.”

According to the announcement, the Raptors’ other top executives, including Webster, remain in place and have received contract extensions.

“We are confident that the Raptors organization, under the guidance of Bobby and his team, is in a great place,” Pelley continued. “They have a plan in place for next season and beyond as the team continues its rebuild, and we have confidence in their ability to execute and ultimately, to excel. We feel the team is in a strong, stable place, and we believe the addition of a new president will continue to move the Raptors forward, towards our next NBA championship.”

8:11 am: Longtime Raptors president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri is leaving the franchise, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links), who reports that the two sides have decided to part ways with Ujiri entering the final year of his contract.

There were some warning sides that Ujiri and the Raptors might be headed toward a split at some point, but it’s a little surprising that it’s happening right before free agency begins next week and the morning after the two-day NBA draft, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).

Last fall, Rogers Communications bought out BCE (Bell)’s stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of the Raptors. Previously, Rogers and Bell had each owned 37.5% of the company, but that deal gave Rogers majority control.

Reporting in the wake of that move noted that Ujiri and Rogers chairman Edward Rogers III have had a “strained relationship” in the past. The Rogers chairman reportedly opposed the terms of the contract extension that Ujiri signed with the club in 2021.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), rival teams have speculated for months that the ownership change might eventually lead to Ujiri exiting the franchise. Some rival executives had described Ujiri as “hard to deal with,” citing his ego, according to Lewenberg (Twitter link). The 54-year-old is reportedly making $15MM per year, Begley adds.

Marc Stein reported in May that the Hawks were interested in having Toronto’s longtime president of basketball operations run their front office. It’s unclear if he actually interviewed, but the fact that Ujiri was cited as a potential candidate was certainly noteworthy.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Raptors have largely struggled over the past half-decade, missing the playoffs in four out of the past five years. Ujiri acknowledged the team was in rebuilding mode last fall, but after going 30-52 in 2024/25 and making a major trade for Brandon Ingram in February, he said in April he was determined to bring Toronto another championship.

After starting his career as a scout, Ujiri worked his way up to assistant general manager with the Raptors in 2008 before leaving to become the GM in Denver in 2010. He was named Executive of the Year with the Nuggets in 2013, then returned to Toronto as executive vice president.

Ujiri bolstered his reputation as one of the NBA’s top executives when he built the Raptors team that captured the franchise’s first-ever NBA title in 2019. Toronto won between 51 and 59 games each season from 2015/16 through 2019/20, advancing to at least the semifinals of the Eastern Conference in each of those five years. The final piece of the puzzle was a bold move to trade for San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard, who was entering the final year of his contract and only spent one season in Toronto.

Ujiri was promoted to president and vice chairman in 2021, with Bobby Webster, Toronto’s general manger since 2017, having focused more on running the team’s day-to-day operations in recent years. Webster will likely lead the basketball operations department for now.

As for Ujiri’s next move, it’s unclear whether or not he’ll seek a new position with an NBA franchise in the short term. Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link) notes that an executive from another team told him Ujiri has aspirations beyond running a team, including focusing on charity and political work.

Celtics’ Zarren Dismisses Brown, White Rumors

June 27th, 2025 at 12:36am CST by Luke Adams

As the Celtics work this offseason to move below the restrictive second tax apron, there has been some speculation about the possibility that the team would be willing to trade stars Jaylen Brown and/or Derrick White as part of its roster overhaul.

While most reporting on the subject has indicated that Boston has no desire to move either player and is simply listening in case a potential trade partner makes a massive offer, Celtics vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren believes even those reports have overstated the team’s interest in making a deal involving Brown or White.

“Those two guys are really, really great NBA players, and there hasn’t been anything close to serious about trading them,” Zarren said, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “I’m not sure where all this reporting came from but those guys are key parts of our team, and we’re lucky to have them here.”

Zarren’s comments may not entirely shut down speculation about Brown and White, but if the Celtics were going to move one of them this offseason, it likely would’ve happened before or during the first round of the draft, when lottery picks could have been in play.

Having agreed to separate deals involving Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, Boston no longer faces the same level of urgency to continue shedding salary, though role players like Sam Hauser and newly acquired Anfernee Simons continue to be mentioned as possible trade candidates.

The Raptors were one of the teams that inquired about White, Zach Lowe of The Ringer confirmed on Thursday in an episode of his podcast (hat tip to Brian Robb of MassLive).

“There were reports that the Raptors offered the No. 9 pick for Derrick White,” Lowe said. “I’m told that’s true but that it happened a month and a half ago after Jayson Tatum got hurt, and Boston laughed at that offer and said, ‘We need way more than No. 9 for Derrick White.'”

Chucky Hepburn To Sign Two-Way Contract With Raptors

June 26th, 2025 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Louisville guard Chucky Hepburn, who was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, has agreed to a two-way contract with the Raptors, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

The 6’2” Hepburn started 137 games during his four-year college career but wasn’t selected in the draft. He spent his first three seasons with Wisconsin before joining the Cardinals. Hepburn expanded his offensive numbers at Lousville, averaging 16.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game last season. He shot 43.2 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from deep, while making 84.4 percent of his free throws.

Hepburn scored 14 points in the ACC championship game against Duke and supplied 22 points and six assists in an NCAA Tournament opening-round loss to Creighton.

Toronto finished the season with an empty two-way spot. Hepburn will likely be ticketed for the G League in his first season but, given his experience, could be an early contributor at the NBA level if injuries arise to the Raptors backcourt.