Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Raptors Re-Sign Cole Swider

April 5th, 2025 at 10:33am CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors have re-signed forward Cole Swider after his 10-day contract expired overnight, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links).

Swider is ineligible for a second 10-day deal with the Raptors because there are fewer than 10 days remaining in the 2024/25 season. For now, his second agreement with Toronto will cover the rest of ’24/25, though there’s a chance the Raptors could renegotiate his contract to tack on another year before the final day of the regular season on April 13, Murphy reports.

Swider, who was in camp with the Pacers last fall, signed a two-way contract with the Pistons at the start of the regular season and was waived in January. He has spent most of the season in the G League, first with the Motor City Cruise and more recently with the South Bay Lakers, who traded for his rights in February.

In 31 total outings for those two NBAGL clubs, Swider averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game, with an excellent shooting line of .482/.442/.952.

A three-year veteran, Swider has suited up for the Lakers, Heat, Pistons and Raptors after going undrafted out of Syracuse in 2022. He has appeared in six games for Toronto in ’24/25, averaging 6.5 PPG and 2.3 RPG while shooting just 29.0% from long distance in 17.8 MPG.

Raptors’ Gradey Dick Out For Rest Of Season

April 4th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors wing Gradey Dick, who has been out since March 2 due to a right knee injury, will be shut down for the final 10 days of the season, bringing his second year in the NBA to an early end, head coach Darko Rajakovic said today, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).

A lottery pick in 2023, Dick increased his scoring average to 14.4 points per game in 2024/25, though his shooting numbers dipped slightly across the board to .410/.350/.858. He also contributed 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29.4 minutes per night across 54 games (all starts).

Considered one of the long-term building blocks in Toronto, Dick is under contract for $4.99MM next season. The Raptors will have until October 31 to determine whether or not to pick up his $7.13MM team option for 2026/27 — it’s a safe bet that option will be exercised, putting Dick on track to become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason.

Rajakovic also provided reporters, including Lewenberg (Twitter link), with an update on Brandon Ingram on Friday. The forward has been able to do more on-court activities and is trending in the right direction in his recovery from a significant left ankle sprain that has sidelined him since December 7, according to Rajakovic.

The team is hopeful Ingram will be cleared for contact and fully participate in a practice next week, but with just four games left on Toronto’s schedule after tonight, time is running out for him to make his Raptors debut this season.

While it’d be nice for the Raptors if they could get a look at Ingram alongside Scottie Barnes for a game or two before season’s end, it’s likely not a major priority for the club, which is prioritizing its draft lottery odds at this point and acquired and extended Ingram with an eye toward 2025/26 and beyond.

As for Barnes, while the Raptors’ franchise player spoke on Thursday about wanting to play as much as possible in the final stretch of the season, he’ll be held out of Friday’s game vs. Detroit (the second end of a back-to-back) due to an MCP joint contusion in his right hand (Twitter link via Lewenberg). There’s no indication at this point that Barnes’ absence will extend beyond one game.

Scottie Barnes: ‘I Want To Play Every Single Game’

April 4th, 2025 at 9:11am CST by Arthur Hill

Star players often get shut down late in the season when their teams are out of contention, but Raptors guard Scottie Barnes is determined to keep playing despite pain in his right hand, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

Barnes logged 27 minutes in Thursday’s loss to Portland, even though he was listed as questionable with an MCP joint contusion. At 28-49, Toronto has no chance of reaching the play-in tournament, but Barnes is determined to finish out the season.

“Why would I not go out there?” he said. “Nothing’s stopping me. You know, I want to play every single game. I love playing basketball. I missed some games last year, I missed some games this year. You know, it’s just a blessing to be on that court. You know, every time I step on the floor, just trying to help the team win.”

The 2022 Rookie of the Year has appeared in 62 games in his fourth NBA season, averaging 18.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 33 minutes per night. His shooting numbers have fallen to career lows of 44% from the field and 26.3% from three-point range, but Grange suggests that’s related to the injury, which is located where his outside two fingers meet the knuckle on his right hand.

Barnes went 2-of-8 and missed both of his three-point attempts on Thursday, extending a six-game slump where he’s shooting 33.3% from the floor and 14.3% from long distance.

“It (bothers me) a lot when I’m shooting, it hurts at times, and then in games it gets hit, it hurts more than it usually hurts, but, you know, it’s a pretty daily thing,” he said. “It’s not a risk of hurting it more, nothing crazy, but when it gets hit, it takes a minute or two to calm it down. (But) the legs work perfectly fine, so I’m ready to go on out there.”

Grange acknowledges that the Raptors would be justified in shutting down Barnes for the rest of the season. He missed 11 games in November with a fractured orbital bone and two more in December with an ankle injury. The team appears to be locked into the league’s seventh-worst record and there’s little reason to risk further injury to one of the franchise cornerstones, especially after last season was cut short due to a fractured left hand.

Barnes needs to play three more times to reach the league’s 65-game minimum for postseason awards. He could earn an additional $45MM on his contract extension by making an All-NBA team, but Grange notes that he’s not really in contention for that honor considering his poor shooting numbers and Toronto’s place in the standings. Barnes’ decision to continue playing mostly stems from his love of the game and his desire to set an example as a team leader.

“Every game is useful. Keep learning and keep getting better. Keep playing with different teammates, different rotations,” he said. “Right now, this is going to help for the future. You just got to keep learning how to play with each other, how to grow, talk, communicate. When there’s struggles, it’s great for that, when there’s some struggles going on, when there’s bad things happening, how are we going to communicate? How are we going to stay together as a team? How are we going to try to figure this, this thing out?”

Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark

April 2nd, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

There are just 12 days left in the 2024/25 regular season, which means time is running out for certain end-of-season award candidates to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

A player doesn’t need to reach that 65-game mark in order to be eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or All-Rookie teams, but it’s a necessary requirement for most of the marquee awards: Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and Most Improved Player.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the following players who could be in the mix for one or more of those awards haven’t yet met the 65-game criteria, but still have a chance to do so:

Evan Mobley, Cavaliers (64 games played)
LeBron James, Lakers (64)
Jalen Williams, Thunder (64)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (63)
Stephen Curry, Warriors (63)
Amen Thompson, Rockets (63)
Kevin Durant, Suns (62)
Jalen Brunson, Knicks (61)
Domantas Sabonis, Kings (61)
Scottie Barnes, Raptors (61)
Draymond Green, Warriors (60)
Jaylen Brown, Celtics (59)
Damian Lillard, Bucks (59)
Jrue Holiday, Celtics (58)

In some cases, a player’s actual games played total doesn’t match up with the figure noted above. That’s because in order for a game to count before the 65-game minimum, the player must be on the court for at least 20 minutes. A player is also permitted to count a maximum of two games between 15 and 20 minutes toward that minimum.

Let’s use Mobley as an example. The Cavaliers big man has technically appeared in 66 games this season, but he played just 12 minutes in one of those games, 18 minutes in two of them, and 19 minutes in one. That means he only has 64 games that actually count toward the minimum — all 62 games in which he played 20-plus minutes, along with two of those games between 15-20 minutes.

Mobley will have to play at least 20 minutes once more this season in order to be eligible for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and All-NBA. Given that he’s healthy and the Cavs still have seven games left on their schedule, Mobley should have no problem meeting that requirement. But it’ll be a taller order for some of the other players on this list.

Durant is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and has been ruled out for at least two more games. He would have to play 20-plus minutes in three of the Suns‘ final four games to be award-eligible. Brunson, on the shelf due to his own ankle sprain, is in a similar boat, though the Knicks guard has a chance to return before Durant does.

Lillard, who is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf, seems pretty unlikely to play in six of the Bucks‘ last seven games. Holiday is healthy but has no wiggle room to miss any of the Celtics‘ remaining seven games.

Many of this year’s other top award contenders have already met the 65-game criteria. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did so in style on Tuesday night — his 65th game of the season was an incredible 61-point triple-double in a 140-139 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.

However, according to the latest straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Jokic is the clear runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who has played 72 games) in the MVP race. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 77 picked the Thunder guard as their Most Valuable Player, while just 23 chose Jokic. The three-time MVP may need a couple more performances like Tuesday’s in order to close that gap by the end of the season.

Besides Jokic, one other notable player who has narrowly eclipsed the 65-game minimum is Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has missed four games in a row with a left calf injury and is considered doubtful to return on Wednesday, but he played his 65th game on March 19, prior to his recent absence.

That’s especially important for Cunningham and the Pistons because, as Bontemps notes, the fourth-year guard is considered a virtual lock to earn a spot on one of this year’s All-NBA teams, which will ensure that his maximum-salary rookie scale extension begins at 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap instead of 25%. That would increase the overall projected value of Cunningham’s five-year deal from $224.2MM to $269.1MM.

Atlantic Notes: Tillman, Grimes, Sixers, Raptors

April 1st, 2025 at 8:13am CST by Luke Adams

Xavier Tillman has had the worst year of his NBA career in 2024/25 and has been out of the Celtics’ regular rotation since October. Entering Monday’s game in Memphis, he hadn’t seen any action at all since March 6. However, facing his former team, Tillman was given the opportunity to start by head coach Joe Mazzulla, who explained his decision after the game, as Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal relays.

“He can still impact winning,” Mazzulla said of Tillman. “I just appreciate who he is as a person and I think you’ve got to validate the roster at times. I know that he can still help us, and there may be an opportunity where he does. I was grateful that we were able to give him that opportunity to be able to do that.”

Tillman spent the first three-and-a-half years of his career in Memphis before being traded to Boston at the 2024 deadline. He played a limited role down the stretch last season and has struggled mightily in his limited minutes this season, making just 12-of-51 (23.5%) of his total shots, including 5-of-32 (15.6%) of his three-point tries.

Tillman wasn’t especially effective on Monday either — he missed all five of his shot attempts and the Celtics were outscored by six points during his eight minutes on the floor. But Mazzulla praised the big man for getting a pair of quick fouls on Grizzlies center Zach Edey and Tillman spoke positively after the game about his experience in his first game back in Memphis since last year’s trade

“It’s crazy because I was more so focused on seeing my old teammates and checking on them,” Tillman said. “The fans, when I got here and even the staff members and security people, when I walked by, they showed me so much love. It’s pretty amazing.”

The Celtics defeated the Grizzlies to complete the first 6-0 road trip in franchise history and are now 32-7 on the road this season, putting them two wins away from tying the 2015/16 Warriors for the best single-season road record of all-time (34-7), as ESPN details.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Quentin Grimes has been a revelation since joining the Sixers, averaging 26.6 points per game on 50.4% shooting in 14 March outings as he proved he’s capable of scoring and playing strong perimeter defense, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. In the season’s final games, head coach Nick Nurse hopes to see how the restricted-free-agent-to-be handles more point guard responsibilities. “I’d like to start him at the point here, coming up in a little bit. I’d like to have him play it during the games, even if he doesn’t start it,” Nurse said. “I’m just curious — I mean, he’s not a point guard. But can he play a serviceable backup possibility in the NBA as a backup point guard? Can he get us into offense? Can you say, ‘See the pass, see the plays, get the offense started, handle the ball versus the pressure in the backcourt,’ all those kinds of things?”
The Sixers are putting on a “tanking masterclass” in the season’s final weeks as they attempt to do all they can to retain control of their top-six protected 2025 first-round pick, Pompey writes in another story for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Following Brooklyn’s win over Dallas on Monday, there’s now a 1.5-game gap between the Sixers and Nets, putting Philadelphia in a strong position to finish the season with the NBA’s fifth-worst record. That would give the team a 64% chance of hanging onto its protected first-rounder.
Given the fact that a significant portion of their revenue is in Canadian – rather than U.S. – dollars, how might the Raptors be impacted by the fact that the Canadian dollar has dipped in value in recent months? Eric Koreen of The Athletic explores that topic, speaking to several experts about how the Raptors may navigate the issue.

Raptors Picked Up Option On Rajakovic’s Contract For 2026/27 Season

March 30th, 2025 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors picked up their 2026/27 option on head coach Darko Rajakovic’s contract last summer, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.

Rajakovic is finished up his second season as the head coach. His bosses have now made a financial commitment to him for the next two seasons.

Toronto began a major rebuild by dealing OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam during the 2023/24 season. The Raptors played a facilitating role in the Jimmy Butler blockbuster and also acquired injured forward Brandon Ingram last month, signing him to a three-year contract extension. Ingram has yet to make his Toronto debut.

Rajokovic has a 53-104 record since replacing Nick Nurse after Toronto defeated Philadelphia on Sunday night.

Rajakovic, who originally hails from Serbia and coached in the Spanish EBA League before arriving stateside, was Memphis’ lead assistant prior to getting the job. He was also an assistant coach with the Thunder and Suns.

Atlantic Notes: Wright, Maxey, Pritchard, Raptors

March 29th, 2025 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Delon Wright had been glued to the Knicks‘ bench during his first month-and-a-half in New York after being acquired from Milwaukee in the Jericho Sims trade at February’s deadline. But with Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride both injured this week, Wright got the call from head coach Tom Thibodeau, entering the starting lineup for Friday’s game in Milwaukee.

While the Knicks were outscored by nine points during Wright’s 30 minutes on the floor, he held his own in just his second 30-minute game of the season, contributing 12 points, four assists, and three rebounds as New York registered a nine-point win. As Jared Schwartz of The New York Post writes, Thibodeau had the option of starting rookie Tyler Kolek at point guard, but opted for Wright’s experience and defensive ability over Kolek’s play-making.

“His defense you can always count on,” Thibodeau said of Wright. “That’s his strength, and he’s not afraid. He’s aggressive, and he knows how to play off people. I think he reads the game well. I think we got terrific point guard play. I was going back and forth on (who to start) and I was comfortable with both. A lot of it was based on I wasn’t quite sure who they were gonna start. Their size was a factor in it. But I was comfortable. And then you read the game like, ‘What do you need? What do you need more of?’ Both guys are really good players, they have different strengths, so you can adjust as the game goes.”

Wright, who entered the league in 2015/16, is averaging just 13.9 minutes per game in 34 outings this season and had logged only 37 total minutes in seven appearances for the Knicks before Friday. It’s his smallest role since his rookie year and he admitted this week that it’s difficult not knowing if or when he’ll play.

“It’s tough, I’m not going to lie. It’s easier said than done,” Wright said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). “I try to tell young guys that — just stay ready, stay ready. But when you’re going through it, it’s tough. Some days are harder than others. But you got to continue to get your conditioning, continue to lift, continue to try to stay as engaged as possible.”

We have more from around the Atlantic:

The Sixers aren’t yet shutting down injured guard Tyrese Maxey for the season, but he’ll miss at least two more games as a result of his sprained finger, head coach Nick Nurse said on Friday (story via ESPN). That means Maxey, out since March 3 due to back and finger ailments, will be unavailable on Saturday vs. Miami and Sunday vs. Toronto. Philadelphia has seven more games on its regular season scheduled after that, starting with Tuesday in New York.
Two years after requesting a trade out of Boston, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard is a fan favorite who appears headed for a Sixth Man of the Year award. Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston takes a closer look at why a trade never happened and how Pritchard emerged as a crucial contributor for the defending champions. The 27-year-old, who averaged just 13.4 minutes per game in 2022/23, tells Forsberg that he “didn’t see a future” for himself in Boston when he asked to be dealt, but admits, “It ended up working out.”
The Raptors have been one of the NBA’s least effective outside shooting teams this season, ranking 29th in three-pointers made per game (11.5) and 26th in three-point percentage (34.5%). Toronto would like to change that by surrounding Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl with more floor spacers, which is one reason why the team targeted Cole Swider for a 10-day contract. For his part, Swider hopes that 10-day deal leads to something more, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca relays. “They’ve had a great track record of having two-ways get converted to contracts and guys with contracts getting converted to bigger contracts,” he said after Friday’s win over Charlotte. “So super excited to be here. I think it could be a great opportunity.”

International Notes: Sabonis, NBA Candidates, Canada, PSG

March 27th, 2025 at 8:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Kings star Domantas Sabonis is expected to miss this summer’s EuroBasket tournament due to personal reasons, sources tell BasketNews.com.

According to BasketNews, the Lithuanian big man is expected to inform Linas Kleiza — the GM of Lithuania’s national team — of his decision when Kleiza visits the United States. Kleiza will also meet with Matas Buzelis and Jonas Valanciunas during the trip, per the report.

Here are a few more international notes:

A handful of EuroLeague players could land NBA contracts this summer. Some hold previous NBA experience; others do not. According to EuroHoops.net, Anadolu Efes guard Darius Thompson is the strongest candidate to sign with an NBA club in the offseason. Veteran guards Tyler Dorsey and Nigel Williams-Goss are among the other players to watch.
Who will replace Jordi Fernandez as the next men’s head coach of Canada’s national team? Multiple sources have suggested to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca that Gordon Herbert is the frontrunner for the job. Herbert, a Canadian who played for the team that made the Olympics in 1984, is currently the head coach of Bayern Munich and recently coached Germany’s national team. Former NBA assistant Nate Mitchell and current Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela are among the other possible candidates, Grange reports.
Paris Saint-Germain has interest in joining the NBA’s European league, either by purchasing Paris Basketball or by starting a new team, according to Laurent Perrin and Julian Lesage of Le Parisien (hat tip to Sportando). Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday that the NBA and FIBA are moving forward on the possibility of a new European league, though he noted the process is still in the early stages.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Embiid, Dowtin, Chisholm

March 26th, 2025 at 9:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After facing a lot of high-level competition and working through a tough schedule early into the 2024/25 season, the Raptors have seen their slate during the year’s home stretch get significantly easier — just as they’ve been looking to stack up losses.

Toronto is hoping to cement its bid for the best possible lottery odds in this summer’s draft, but playing fellow rebuilding squads could complicate that plan, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

To wit, Grange notes that the Raptors are still scheduled to play Charlotte and Brooklyn twice each, and have one more game against seemingly lottery-bound clubs in Philadelphia, San Antonio, Portland, Chicago and Dallas as the season winds down.

As of this writing, the 25-47 Raptors have the seventh-worst record in the league. They could conceivably overtake the 23-49 Nets and Sixers – and maybe even the 20-53 Pelicans – in the lottery order if they play their cards “right.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Sixers coach Nick Nurse said today that injured former MVP center Joel Embiid has finished consulting various specialists about his lingering knee inflammation, and Philadelphia intends to make a decision on next steps “soon-ish,” per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
Sixers guard Jeff Dowtin is rapidly approaching the 50-contest active game limit for two-way players. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscriber link), the Rhode Island alum has just two games left before Philadelphia faces a decision on his fate. If the Sixers want to give the 27-year-old any more run in 2024/25 beyond those two games, the front office will need to promote Dowtin to its standard roster. Through 38 games this year (he has been a DNP-CD in 10), the 6’3″ guard boasts averages of 6.4 PPG, 1.8 APG, 1.6 RPG and 0.5 SPG in 14.1 minutes per night.
Incoming Celtics owner Bill Chisholm spoke with All-Star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and team president Brad Stevens ahead of the club’s recent tilt in Sacramento, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). “It’s the most incredible feeling to think that maybe I can just play a tiny little part in the future,” Chisholm said, “and now I’ll just let these guys do what they’re doing, let Brad do his thing. If I can help in any way, that’s amazing to think about.”
Stevens himself spoke about the Celtics‘ impending new ownership situation too, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “My only thing is just asking to be kept in the loop on everything I need to know from the standpoint of making decisions here and now and moving forward,” Stevens said. “As we get to spend more time with Bill, with [current team governor Wyc Grousbeck] and Bill, then we’ll have more clarity on how we are going to do things.

Raptors Sign Cole Swider To 10-Day Contract

March 26th, 2025 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have filled the open spot on their 15-man roster by signing forward Cole Swider to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Swider, who was in camp with the Pacers last fall, signed a two-way contract with the Pistons at the start of the regular season and was waived in January. He has spent most of the season in the G League, first with the Motor City Cruise and more recently with the South Bay Lakers, who traded for his rights last month.

In 31 total outings for those two NBAGL clubs, Swider has averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game, with an excellent shooting line of .482/.442/.952.

An undrafted free agent out of Syracuse in 2022, Swider has played in the NBA for at least some of each of his first three professional seasons, appearing in seven games with the Lakers as a rookie, 18 with the Heat last year, and two with the Pistons this season.

Swider will be taking the roster spot that was previously occupied by center Colin Castleton. Castleton’s second 10-day contract with Toronto expired overnight and the team would’ve had to sign him to a rest-of-season deal in order to keep him on the roster. Castleton appeared in 10 games as a Raptor, averaging 6.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per contest.

Swider will earn $119,972 on his 10-day deal, with the Raptors carrying an identical cap hit. The contract will run through Friday, April 4, covering the club’s next six games.