Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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 2016, 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).

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.