Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Workouts: Jazz, Wolves, Kings, Broome

June 12th, 2025 at 5:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz are hosting a pre-draft workout on Friday featuring Colorado State wing Nique Clifford, North Carolina wing Drake Powell, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner and Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, multiple league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Clifford is the top-ranked prospect of the group, according to ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 22. Powell (No. 31), Kalkbrenner (No. 33) and Lanier (No. 37) are also viewed as strong bets to be drafted, either late in the first round or early in the second.

Utah currently controls four picks — Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53 — in June’s draft.

Here are a few more notes regarding pre-draft workouts:

The Timberwolves, who control the 17th and 31st picks, are holding a workout Thursday that includes Asa Newell (Georgia), Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State) and Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North (via Twitter). Newell, who was invited to the green room, is ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s board, while Watkins is No. 39. The other two players are unranked.
The Kings will be hosting six players for a workout on Friday, the team announced (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). The six are Ryan Nembhard of Gonzaga, Curtis Jones of Iowa State, Koby Brea of Kentucky, Kadary Richmond of, Norchad Omier of Baylor, and Vladislav Goldin of Michigan. All six prospects appear on ESPN’s board, ranging from No. 47 (Brea) to No. 95 (Omier). Sacramento currently only controls the 42nd pick, but is rumored to be interested in moving into the first round.
Big man Johni Broome, the 40th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s list, had a workout with the Warriors today, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former Auburn star said he has previously worked out for the Clippers, Pistons, Hawks, Nets, Raptors and Celtics, and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Timberwolves and Suns, according to Rankin. Golden State controls the 41st pick.

Fischer’s Latest: Raptors, Maluach, Barrett, Suns, Triano

June 7th, 2025 at 8:34am CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors are among the teams who “highly value” Duke center Khaman Maluach ahead of this month’s NBA Draft, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). However, it remains to be seen if the 7’2″ big man will be available at No. 9, which is the lottery pick Toronto currently controls.

If Maluach — who is ranked No. 6 on ESPN’s big board — is unavailable, rival teams have gotten the impression the Raptors might target a different center, Fischer writes. For what it’s worth, Derik Queen (No. 13), Joan Beringer (No. 15) and Thomas Sorber (No. 18) are the next three centers on ESPN’s board.

Here are a few more items of interest from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:

As we relayed on Friday evening, Fischer pointed to Raptors wing RJ Barrett as a potential salary-matching piece if Toronto decides to make a play for Kevin Durant. Citing sources, Fischer also confirms a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype stating that Barrett’s name came up in the Brandon Ingram trade talks between the Pelicans and Raptors. Toronto ultimately acquired Ingram in February by sending New Orleans Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, one first-round pick and one second-rounder.
New head coach Jordan Ott intends to meet with the Suns‘ current assistants in the coming days, according to Fischer, who says there was a “strong belief” during the search process that Phoenix would ask associate head coach David Fizdale to remain on staff under the new hire. However, it’s unclear if Fizdale will be amenable to that arrangement after receiving multiple interviews for the head coaching job. Cavaliers assistant DeMarre Carroll — who has worked with Ott on three different teams — and Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley are also viewed as candidates to join Ott’s staff, Fischer writes.
Following up on a report from his Stein Line colleague Marc Stein, Fischer hears former Suns and Raptors head coach Jay Triano is finalizing a contract to join the Mavericks as an assistant under Jason Kidd. The Knicks are interested in speaking to Kidd for their coaching vacancy, though Dallas would have to grant New York permission for that to happen.

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Hauser, Nets, Sixers

June 6th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Raptors are considered by “numerous NBA figures” to be a potential suitor for Suns star Kevin Durant, Jake Fischer reports for The Stein Line (Substack link), especially if their well-documented interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t come to fruition.

Fischer writes that the pieces the Raptors have assembled would make for a more realistic trade package for Durant, who is not necessarily expected to receive an extension from the team that trades for him, than for Antetokounmpo. If the Bucks star reaches the market, the trade packages teams will put together could put the Raptors out of the running, but with Phoenix likely looking to stay competitive around Devin Booker, the Raptors’ collection of young veterans could prove enticing.

Fischer points to Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri‘s aggressiveness in trading for Kawhi Leonard in 2018, which led to a championship, though this version of the Raptors roster is much less ready to win now than that one was. That said, the team did pursue Durant in 2022, Fischer writes, and there’s a belief that the Raptors have some internal pressure to take real steps forward this coming season. That could lead to the team shopping RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and others.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics are facing an offseason that will require some serious introspection to figure out which players should be retained until Jayson Tatum eventually returns from his torn Achilles, SI’s Chris Mannix said during an NBC Sports Boston appearance. The most likely player to be moved, according to Mannix, is backup wing Sam Hauser. Hauser, an excellent shooter and decent defender, is entering the first season of a four-year, $45MM contract extension, a deal that would cost the team significantly more in luxury tax penalties if he remains on the roster. Mannix adds that rookie Baylor Scheierman could be tapped to fill in Hauser’s role if coach Joe Mazzulla thinks Scheierman ready for it.
After a down year, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer doesn’t rule out the Sixers attempting to move one of Joel Embiid or Paul George if the team’s struggles continue. However, those contracts are likely to be difficult to trade, given their size and length. Within the same mailbag, Pompey fields a question about the idea of drafting Khaman Maluach with the No. 3 pick, noting that going that route would be an indication that the 76ers have more concern about Embiid’s future than they’ve indicated to this point. Pompey doesn’t view it as a likely scenario.
The Nets have conducted pre-draft workouts for Johni Broome (Auburn), Taelon Peter (Liberty University), and Wade Taylo r IV (Texas A&M), according to Nets Daily (via Twitter). While the latter two players are viewed as undrafted free agent targets, Broome is considered a likely late-first or second-round pick. The 6’10” SEC Player of the Year and All-American averaged 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game for Auburn during his senior year.

Barnes, Stewart, Vassell Candidates For Jamaican National Team

June 5th, 2025 at 3:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart and Spurs guard/forward Devin Vassell are in discussions to join Jamaica’s men’s basketball team, reports Daniel Blake of The Jamaica Observer (Twitter link).

Clippers wing Norman Powell has already committed to represent Jamaica during the pre-qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup this summer, as has Timberwolves forward Josh Minott, according to Blake (Twitter link).

Rockets wing Amen Thompson and Pistons wing Ausar Thompson may also represent Jamaica in FIBA competitions and possibly the Summer Olympics. Blake hears the Thompson twins began the process of applying for Jamaican passports last week — their father is from Jamaica.

Blake previously mentioned Suns center Nick Richards, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, as another candidate to join the national team.

If Jamaica is able to secure the commitments of all the aforementioned NBA players, the country would become a formidable opponent in international competitions. Former Rookie of the Year and All-Star Barnes is the most accomplished of the group, and all but Minott have established themselves as at least solid rotation players in the NBA.

Eastern Notes: Giannis, Nets, Raptors, Spoelstra, Pistons, Magic

June 5th, 2025 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

Team personnel around the NBA who have spoken recently to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required) are expressing less confidence that Giannis Antetokounmpo will ask the Bucks to trade him this summer.

“He’s not that guy (to cause trouble),” one source told Lewis. “He’s going to complain, but he isn’t going to actually burn it to the ground and be the bad guy to leave.”

As Lewis details, it’s perhaps no coincidence that rumors about the Nets‘ interest in pursuing a second lottery pick have gained some traction lately, since that’s viewed as a more realistic move for Brooklyn than landing Antetokounmpo. Even if the Bucks star does become available, the Nets have fallen behind teams like San Antonio, Houston, and Toronto as betting favorites to land him, Lewis notes.

“Toronto has more than anyone to offer for Giannis,” one league source told The Post. “But I don’t think he’s being moved.”

If Giannis were available, the Raptors could make a strong bid for him by including former Rookie of the Year and All-Star Scottie Barnes in their package. Still, it’s debatable whether such a move would make sense for Toronto, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who notes that paying a significant price (Barnes, plus other players and picks) for Antetokounmpo wouldn’t necessarily put the Raptors in a better position to contend than recent iterations of the Bucks.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Since we published our most recent list of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches last August, four of the top six names on that list (Gregg Popovich, Michael Malone, Taylor Jenkins, and Tom Thibodeau) have been let go or, in Popovich’s case, stepped down. That leaves Erik Spoelstra of the Heat as the league’s longest-tenured head coach by a significant margin, and he doesn’t take that longevity for granted, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald details. “You have to have great ownership and stability from the front office,” Spoelstra said during the season. “… I’m truly grateful for that, because we’ve been able to work through some tough losses and tough seasons and I think we’ve gotten better from that.”
Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) considers how the Pistons might be able to leverage certain teams’ cap and apron positions this offseason by pursuing players from those clubs. Sankofa identifies Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Grayson Allen, Isaac Okoro, and Sam Hauser as four wings whom Detroit could target in free agency or trades. Minnesota, Phoenix, and Boston are coming off second-apron seasons, while Cleveland is on track to exceed the second apron in 2025/26.
The Magic unveiled a new logo and three new uniforms earlier this week, per a team press release. Orlando’s updated look can be found here.

Nets Notes: Draft Trades, Johnson, Fears, Bridges Deal

June 4th, 2025 at 11:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets possess four first-round picks in this month’s draft, including the No. 8 overall selection. They are reportedly pursuing another top-10 pick, NetsDaily tweets.

According to NetsDaily, Brooklyn may try to move its second-highest pick at No. 19 and Cameron Johnson to the Raptors for the No. 9 pick or the Rockets at No. 10, taking back a “bad contract” in the process. However, both of those teams might be a little reluctant to move their picks before learning whether Milwaukee makes Giannis Antetokounmpo available, as Toronto and Houston are both regarded as potential landing spots for the Bucks’ superstar.

Here’s more on the Nets:

The Nets are positioned to follow the blueprint that led the Pacers and Thunder to the Finals, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Both of those organizations chose to find young, defensive-minded players with rotations that go 10-deep, rather than stacking three superstars and fitting low-cost pieces around them.
Oklahoma freshman guard Jeremiah Fears is ranked No. 7 on ESPN’s big board and NetsDaily’s Lucas Kaplan takes a long look at whether Fears could be the Nets’ long-term solution at the point. Kaplan notes that Fears, 18, had a high usage rate for an Southeastern Conference team and many defenders couldn’t stay in front of him, often resorting to fouling him.
In this year’s draft alone, the Nets acquired the Nos. 19, 26 and 36 picks from the Mikal Bridges trade. How they use those picks will help determine whether the Nets or Knicks wind up as the ultimate winner in the deal, according to another NetsDaily.com story.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Giannis, Porzingis, Sixers, Murry

June 3rd, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

According to a Toronto Star story, there’s mutual interest between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Raptors. So what would it take to acquire the Bucks superstar?

Josh Lewenberg of TSN tackles that subject with the biggest unknown being whether Toronto would be willing to part with its biggest star, Scottie Barnes. Thus far, the Raptors’ front office has been unwilling to discuss Barnes in any trade scenario.

Lewenberg speculates that any preliminary offer from the Raptors wouldn’t include Barnes. Instead, they would offer a package of picks, prospects, and salary filler, similar to what they offered Portland for Damian Lillard two years ago. Could a package of RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, either Gradey Dick or Ja’Kobe Walter, and a handful of future first-round picks get it done? Lewenberg doubts that, believing other teams could top that offer unless Toronto is willing to part with Barnes.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Kristaps Porzingis will be on an expiring $30.7MM contract in 2025/26 and the Celtics are expected to shed salary this offseason. Brian Robb of MassLive.com makes some hypothetical trade proposals, speculating what Boston might receive back from Detroit, both Los Angeles teams, Utah, Portland and Brooklyn for Porzingis.
The Sixers‘ blueprint to a championship appears to be obsolete, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. Philadelphia tried the old formula of stacking superstars by signing Paul George last summer to a max deal to join forces with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. However, the Thunder and Pacers took very different routes to this year’s NBA Finals, relying on young, versatile, athletic players without breaking the bank, while emphasizing depth.
The Sixers will retain Toure Murry as a player development coach, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto tweets. Murry, who played 51 games with the Knicks in 2013/14, joined the Sixers staff prior to the 2023/24 season.

Mutual Interest Between Raptors, Giannis Antetokounmpo?

June 2nd, 2025 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

“Mutual interest” exists between the Raptors and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, veteran beat writer Doug Smith writes in his latest mailbag for The Toronto Star.

Antetokounmpo is reportedly mulling his future in Milwaukee and is expected to let the Bucks know at some point soon whether he remains committed to the team or would prefer to seek a change of scenery. While Shams Charania of ESPN reported a few weeks ago that Antetokounmpo is more “open-minded” than in the past about taking the latter route, there has been no indication to this point that he’s looking to leave the Bucks.

It’s no surprise that the Raptors would have interest in Antetokounmpo if the Bucks were to entertain the idea of trading him. Toronto’s president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri has long coveted the two-time MVP, having reportedly made efforts to trade into the 2013 draft to select him, and the Raptors are said to be viewed by rival teams as a candidate to pursue a major move this summer.

Antetokounmpo’s potential interest in the Raptors would be more notable. The star forward has always spoken highly of Ujiri, who helped Giannis gain Greek citizenship when his family moved from Lagos, Nigeria to Athens, per Smith. There has also been speculation that if Antetokounmpo were to seek a trade, he might prefer to remain in the Eastern Conference, where the path to the NBA Finals in the coming years looks far less crowded. But again, that’s just speculation.

With no indication yet that Antetokounmpo will request a trade and the Raptors certain to face a ton of competition if he does, the odds are against the 30-year-old ending up in Toronto, Smith acknowledges.

Still, he views Toronto as a trade partner that would make some sense for the Bucks, given that the Raptors control all their own future first-round picks and have a variety of sizable contracts that could be considered for inclusion in a trade package for matching purposes. They also have enough wing depth that they could give up a strong combination of young players and veterans without becoming shorthanded at the position, Smith adds.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Sixers, Nets Draft

June 1st, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

After acquiring Brandon Ingram at the February trade deadline, the Raptors are viewed by teams around the league as a candidate to make another major move this offseason, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (hat tip to RealGM).

“Toronto is one of those teams that is sitting there on the balls of its feet, which is interesting,” Windhorst said on the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link).

Eric Koreen of The Athletic added that the state of the Eastern Conference should push the Raptors to be slightly more aggressive, as the bottom of the conference is likely to be weak, especially if Giannis Antetokounmpo departs for the Western Conference.

However, Koreen adds that his instinct is that the core five Raptors, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, and Brandon Ingram, will likely remain with the team heading into next season.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

After a season that went much worse than expected, the Sixers are faced with a multitude of questions, writes Keith Pompey of The Inquirer. The first domino is the third overall pick in the 2025 draft. If they do use the No. 3 pick, don’t expect standout trade addition Quentin Grimes‘ impending free agency to impact the selection, says Pompey, who emphasizes the need to select the best player available. Pompey writes within the same story that another lackluster year from Philadelphia could spell the end of team president Daryl Morey‘s tenure as the lead decision-maker.
Speaking of the third pick in the 2025 draft, count Sixers star Paul George as a firm believer in Ace Bailey, Pompey writes in a separate story. Pompey reports that George has hyped up the 6’9″ wing three different times leading into the offseason. Recently, George said, “If there was no Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey would have been an even bigger name that people would have been talking about in this draft. … I think he’s going to come into the league and make noise right away.” Carmelo Anthony and DeMarcus Cousins are two other former players who have raved about the shot-making wing, but others believe that the three-to-six or -seven range in the draft is basically interchangeable from a talent perspective.
The Nets missed out on the Flagg sweepstakes, but they still have five picks in the top 36 of the 2025 draft. Collin Helwig of NetsDaily rounded up a list of players who have been confirmed to have worked out for the franchise, a list that doesn’t yet include Jeremiah Fears or Kon Knueppel. Colorado State’s Nique Clifford is the highest-ranked name known to have worked out for the team so far, along with Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier. Helwig notes that St. John’s Aaron Scott and Temple’s Steve Settle both worked out in Brooklyn, as did Wake Forest guard Hunter Sallis and West Virginia’s Javon Small. Finally, Helwig writes that international players Noa Essengue, Ben Saraf, and Hugo Gonzalez will not be working out for the team, as they finish their seasons overseas.

Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Edgecombe, Hornets, Raptors

May 31st, 2025 at 12:04pm CST by Rory Maher

After taking a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers‘ high-octane offense only managed 94 points in a Game 5 loss in New York. As Jamal Collier of ESPN writes, that total was a playoff-low for the Pacers, who also turned the ball over 20 times, the most turnovers they’ve committed in a game this postseason.

“We’re a resilient group,” star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said after the game. “We always want to respond when things don’t go well after a game like that. We understand what the stakes are. … We’re fine. There’s no need to panic or anything.”

Despite the wire-to-wire defeat, All-Star forward Pascal Siakam is confident Indiana will rebound with a strong home showing tonight in Game 6, according to Collier.

“You’re going to have bad games,” Siakam said. “This is the NBA, and there’s going to be times where a team is going to play hard. In fact, they’re going to beat you.

“It is just all about us, man. It’s always been us against the world, and I don’t expect it to change. … We are 3-2 in a series, and we have an opportunity to go back home and show what we’re made of.”

Here are a few more notes from around the East:

ESPN insiders Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Zach Kram and Chris Herring list some keys to watch ahead of Game 6. Kram views the health and play of Aaron Nesmith as the Pacers‘ biggest X factor, while how well Jalen Brunson holds up on defense will be critical for the Knicks.
Rival executives believe the Hornets will target V.J. Edgecombe if he’s still available at No. 4 in next month’s draft, according to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, who hears the Baylor guard had an “excellent” interview with Charlotte. Unsurprisingly, O’Connor has the Hornets selecting Edgecombe — who’s also the fourth-rated prospected on ESPN’s big board — at No. 4 in his latest mock draft.
According to O’Connor, several rival teams think the Raptors are leaning toward selecting a prospect who can contribute right away rather than a long-term project with their lottery pick. Toronto holds the No. 9 pick in June’s draft. For what it’s worth, O’Connor has the team picking Washington State wing Cedric Coward.