Samson Folk & Joe Wolfond discuss the Raptors latest team building approach.

From Louis’ piece:

“He won’t shift the hierarchy on the team when it comes to who touches the ball, where, and when. He and Brandon Ingram averaged almost identical numbers of touches last season, and both prioritize isolation attempts. It’s just that Leonard is much, much better on those attempts. He will bend defences by far wider margins, draw more double teams, initiate from further away, and generally open the floor for his teammates by much wider margins that Ingram did.

At the same time, he will allow Quickley to continue to play point guard. Quickley is a point guard. But he needs teammates to handle some elements of offensive creation that some other point guards (generally superstars) shoulder themselves. Scottie Barnes has generally handled all north-south passing for the Raptors. Leonard will handle much of the pull-up shooting and isolation play. Quickley will still run his fair share of pick and rolls. He will still finish oodles of possessions. In fact, his shot attempts might feasibly increase from last season.

But his responsibilities will be lighter, allowing him to focus more on his strengths. His almost three seasons as a Raptor have, in some ways, been the team and player trying to force a square peg in a round hole. But it’s been so long that his edges have become increasingly rounded, his shape bent and formed to fit the role in which the Raptors have increasingly pushed him. It hasn’t been perfect, and it won’t be perfect. But it’s become a better and better fit.

And the Raptors will finally have a stable of teammates who can ease Quickley into a role that perhaps, if you squint, can be closer to perfect. Not the perfect role that he played on the Knicks years ago. That was perfect for him then, but he’s changed and grown as a player. Perhaps he can be in a role that will be perfect for him now.

The final frontier of fit and skillset and team weakness is rim pressure. Leonard no longer offers it, which is why going forward, as in past seasons, the team will rely on heavily on RJ Barrett. But Scottie Barnes’ ability to attack the basket exploded in the playoffs. If he can remain improved in that regard, even if not to the helter-skelter degree of the playoffs, that will lift further burden from Quickley’s shoulders.

I eventually bought myself a Predator cue and learned how to put the cue ball anywhere it wanted to go. The Raptors don’t even need to go to that extent. They don’t need to find a new point guard. With Leonard on board, if all goes to plan, they might find that Quickley seems like a whole new point guard himself.”

Have a blessed day.

The post The Raptors did it again. first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The signing means that Bradley will play for both the Toronto Raptors and for the Raptors 905 this season. Players signed to two-way contracts are eligible to be active for up to 50 regular season games for their NBA team.

With Bradley and Chucky Hepburn now signed to two-way contracts, the Toronto Raptors have just one two-way spot remaining. I would imagine they will wait until after Summer League to fill it in case there is a standout player they wish to reward, hopefully someone with size.

More from me on Bradley:

The 22-year-old guard finished his senior season with the Wildcats averaging 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field, 39.4% from three (on just 66 attempts), and 80.9% from the free throw line.

You may remember Bradley from his Big-12 tournament game winner that looks awfully similar to a certain Raptors buzzer beater. In his senior season with the team he led the team to the Big 12 title and the final four of March Madness.

At the NBA combine, Bradley measured in at 6’2″ barefoot with a 6’6″ wingspan and an 8’0″ standing reach. Bradley is a pesky on-ball defender averaging 1.4 steals per game. He’s a very similar archetype to Jamal Shead and Chucky Hepburn.

After being drafted, Bradley spoke with media and said “Blessed to be in this organization. They’ve got a great roster. Can’t wait to hit the ground running.” via Josh Lewenberg on X

When asked what he brings to the roster, he said “Defensive presence, a point guard. Setting my teammates up, scoreing when I need to score. 3-point shooting’s going to be a big key.” via Josh Lewenberg on X

• Raptors select Jaden Bradley with 50th pick in 2026 NBA draft

The post Toronto Raptors sign Jaden Bradley to a two-way contract first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Temple, who played for the Raptors the past three years, ends his career after 17 seasons, 16 of which were in the NBA, and one overseas. While it was largely expected that last season could be Temple’s last as a player, there was also a hope that he would transition into a coaching or front office role with the Raptors.

After all, his legacy in Toronto has been much more off the court rather than on it. In his three seasons he played a total of 589 minutes on the court, but his impact off the court was immense.

From the conga line before every game.

“I just knew I was dancing,” Temple told me. “I was always dancing. And Jamal (Shead) started putting his hands on my shoulders, but I didn’t know it was an actual conga line until we were in (Atlanta) and (Lindsay Dunn of Citytv) showed me the video. I didn’t know everything that was happening behind me. I thought it was me and Jamal. I was so locked in.”

• via Sportsnet’s Michael Grange

To the conversations behind the scenes, the Raptors understood the value that having a veteran like Temple brought to a young team still growing and evolving. The players commended him every chance they had, praising his leadership and his role in bringing the team together.

There is no doubt that Temple is ready to take the jump to a full-time coach, and his ability to bridge the gap between the players and the rest of the coaching staff will be much needed for first-time NBA coach Dusty May, who is making the jump from the NCAA after leading the Michigan Wolverines to the National Championship this past season.

Best of luck to Temple, and congratulations on a long, successful career.

The post Raptors’ Garrett Temple signs as assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Immanuel Quickley has spent a long time playing in a new role with the Toronto Raptors. In 2022-23, his final season with the New York Knicks, he played almost three-quarter of his possessions as a shooting guard. In 2024-25, he played almost 90 percent of his possessions as a point guard. This past season, according to Cleaning the Glass, that ratio rose to 100 percent as a point guard. And, sure, that tracking is wrong because he spent minutes alongside Jamal Shead certainly as the off-ball guard. But he ranked 19th in the entire league this past season in touches per game. His role has changed as a Raptor.

Quickley has been solid as a point guard for the Raptors. Not terrible, by any means. He’s a great shooter and a pretty efficient scorer as a result. He ranked 25th in assists per game. And yet, those generally came as a result of his recipient doing the work, not because he created advantages by hitting the paint and then passed for layups. The team’s offence has been more or less the same with him on the court or on the bench since he joined the Raptors (and was worse with him playing this last season).

It’s not that Quickley is bad as an initiating guard. It’s that he’s not elite at creating for others (unless it’s Jakob Poeltl, as the two have terrific synergy together). And at the same time, he is at his best when others create for him.

What Quickley can do with an almost incomparable ability is bang in catch-and-shoot jumpers. The 4-.4-40 club (players who attempt at least 4.0 catch-and-shoot jumpers a game, shoot at least 40 percent on them, and played in at least 40 games) is a tight-knit club of 21 mostly specialists. There were few point guards on the list; Quickley actually led all 21 players in touches per game last season.

At the same time, despite Quickley being an efficient pull-up shooter (despite a down year this past season), he only attempts a small handful there per game. He doesn’t have a quick release, or a high release, or a truly elite (for the NBA) handle, so he’s not able to find room for pull-up triples unless defences concede them.

If Quickley is attempting shots off the catch, possessions are about as efficient as any in the NBA. If he’s attempt shots off the dribble, the Raptors will struggle to score. The real problem is that he didn’t have any other teammates with pull-up 3-point shooting chops (on volume), so defences weren’t bent enough for him to find enough standstill triples.

Kawhi Leonard, new Raptor, again, should solve all that in one fell swoop.

He attempts far more pull-up triples per game than Quickley. In fact, his 3.9 pull-up triples per game last season almost doubled Quickley’s per-game attempts, and on far better efficiency, to boot. In fact, Leonard was one of four players to play in 50 games, attempt 3.5 pull-up triples per game last season, and shoot at least 37 percent on such shots.

He won’t shift the hierarchy on the team when it comes to who touches the ball, where, and when. He and Brandon Ingram averaged almost identical numbers of touches last season, and both prioritize isolation attempts. It’s just that Leonard is much, much better on those attempts. He will bend defences by far wider margins, draw more double teams, initiate from further away, and generally open the floor for his teammates by much wider margins that Ingram did.

At the same time, he will allow Quickley to continue to play point guard. Quickley is a point guard. But he needs teammates to handle some elements of offensive creation that some other point guards (generally superstars) shoulder themselves. Scottie Barnes has generally handled all north-south passing for the Raptors. Leonard will handle much of the pull-up shooting and isolation play. Quickley will still run his fair share of pick and rolls. He will still finish oodles of possessions. In fact, his shot attempts might feasibly increase from last season.

But his responsibilities will be lighter, allowing him to focus more on his strengths. His almost three seasons as a Raptor have, in some ways, been the team and player trying to force a square peg in a round hole. But it’s been so long that his edges have become increasingly rounded, his shape bent and formed to fit the role in which the Raptors have increasingly pushed him. It hasn’t been perfect, and it won’t be perfect. But it’s become a better and better fit.

And the Raptors will finally have a stable of teammates who can ease Quickley into a role that perhaps, if you squint, can be closer to perfect. Not the perfect role that he played on the Knicks years ago. That was perfect for him then, but he’s changed and grown as a player. Perhaps he can be in a role that will be perfect for him now.

The final frontier of fit and skillset and team weakness is rim pressure. Leonard no longer offers it, which is why going forward, as in past seasons, the team will rely on heavily on RJ Barrett. But Scottie Barnes’ ability to attack the basket exploded in the playoffs. If he can remain improved in that regard, even if not to the helter-skelter degree of the playoffs, that will lift further burden from Quickley’s shoulders.

I eventually bought myself a Predator cue and learned how to put the cue ball anywhere it wanted to go. The Raptors don’t even need to go to that extent. They don’t need to find a new point guard. With Leonard on board, if all goes to plan, they might find that Quickley seems like a whole new point guard himself.

The post Quickley can finally be himself with Leonard a Raptor first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The summer of 2026 for Canada Basketball has been all about commitment. While the Senior Men’s team has already advanced to the next round of FIBA World Cup qualification, their commitment to dominance was on full display in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,000 in Hamilton on Friday in a 110-84 win against Puerto Rico.

“For as long as I’ve known Hamilton, they’ve always loved sports,” Gilgeous-Alexander said post-game. “For a homegrown kid that’s involved to be amplified, and that’s what we got tonight. The game wasn’t always close, but you can never tell the way they were in it.”

Canada started out with a never-before-seen look of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks, Andrew Nembhard, Leonard Miller, and Mfiondu Kabengele. The double-big lineup for the Canadians instantly looked to have an advantage against the smaller Puerto Rican side, with Canada scoring on 8 of their first 10 shots. The dynamism of Nembhard, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Brooks immediately stood out, as the trio combined to score 22 of their 31 points in the 1st quarter. By the end of the first half, those totaled for 36 of their 56 points.

One of the biggest questions heading into this qualifying window for Canada was their new crop of big men. While Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell and Zach Edey were in the building to support their former teammates, they weren’t featured on Canada’s roster this summer. Edey figures to be a part of Canada’s 2028 Olympic goals; the two veteran bigs are passing the torch to a newer, greener generation.

Could Kabengele, Miller, Charles Bediako, Kyle Wiltjer, and Thomas Kennedy help facilitate wins at the FIBA level alongside the NBA Stars on this team?

That question, at least temporarily, was answered.

Canada’s bigs helped them dominate on the glass in the 1st half, outrebounding the Puerto Ricans by 11 in the first 20 minutes of hoops. Kabengele, in particular, made his presence felt everywhere on the floor. On one possession, he blocked a shot at the basket, grabbed the board, and grabbed an offensive rebound on the next possession.

“I like playing with him,” Nembhard said about the big man. “He’s a big body in there, gives real good screens, and lets you get into the pocket and make plays. So basically, what the team gives us, you can kind of operate in a lot of different ways using him.”

Nembhard was certainly in the pocket. He was comfortable, dropping 25 points as the team’s lead ballhandler, while Gilgeous-Alexander did most of his damage off the ball.

“He’s special with the ball in his hands,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And the more space you give a guy like that, the more you see out there on the floor. I try to give him that space to be who he is and be comfortable out there and play off of that.”

Putting Gilgeous-Alexander off the ball was his idea, according to Head Coach Gordon Herbert, who told us post-game that he thinks the two-time NBA MVP is even more dangerous without the ball in his hands.

That proved true tonight. The sea of Canadian basketball fans draped in red and white got to see the best of their country show out in a dominant way. Gilgeous-Alexander continued to pour it on in his hometown, scoring his 25 points and getting to his spots in Michael Jordan-esque ways.

It was more of the same in the second half for Canada. The self-creation and isolation scoring of the Canadian guards and wings was just too much to handle. Anytime it felt like the game was getting too close for comfort (and by close I mean within 20 points), Canada would string together bucket after bucket, led by SGA, Nembhard and Brooks, who chipped in with 13.

The Puerto Ricans did put a dent in the lead in the second half. Led by Ismael Romero and Timberwolves wing Enrique Freeman, they began imposing their will from the inside. Without Jose Alvarado, who was listed on the active roster but wasn’t present, they just didn’t have enough offensively to keep up for a full game.

With this win, Canada extended its undefeated streak to 5 in World Cup qualifying play. They play Jamaica next on Monday in Hamilton to finish up their games against their current group. The next window will start on August 24th, when they can inch closer to qualification for the 2027 World Cup.

The post Canada dominates Puerto Rico in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in SGA’s hometown first appeared on Raptors Republic.

But the NBA is fickle, and one never knows when a new (old?) opportunity might present itself. Kawhi Leonard is a Raptor once more, this time on a team with far less experience and arguably a lot more to prove.

Potentially lost in the hoopla, however, is just how important Barrett will be in helping his hometown team — one way or another — make good on its bid to repeat history nearly a decade later. And how both he and the Raptors stand to benefit greatly if the two sides can lift each other to new heights.

From an on-court perspective, it’s easy to see how Barrett will impact games alongside Leonard. In many ways, it’ll be the same as he did next to Brandon Ingram, just with a more productive version of that player now. The Raptors swingman will likely continue making his hay as a play-finisher and second-side creator off actions that flow Leonard into his spots (same as Ingram did) before passing reads develop. Many of which should end up with Barrett, assuming head coach Darko Rajakovic uses Leonard like he did his previous top scorer — Ingram’s second-most popular target was the Maple Mamba.

That trend should continue next to Leonard, as both he and Ingram generated a majority of their assists in similar areas — primarily feeding teammates at the rim or above the break — and even maintained similar per-game averages as a result.

The difference is that Leonard was able to find his teammates more frequently and with fewer miscues (he’s got more total steals than he has turnovers or personal fouls!) than Ingram did. Leonard maintained a 19.4 per cent assist rate to Ingram’s 16.9, and an 8.5 per cent turnover rate compared to Ingram’s 11.7, per Cleaning The Glass. All of which is even more impressive considering Leonard didn’t play in an assist-churning system as Ingram did. The Raptors were among the league leaders in assisted makes, while the Clippers were second last.

Leonard is now going to play for a team that drives, cuts and spots up around him much more than L.A. did, and Barrett — who was Toronto’s most frequent driver and spot-up man — is going to reap the rewards of that reality.

And speaking of driving, Barrett’s rim pressure will continue to matter just as it did next to Ingram. While Leonard is a more efficient (and frequent) driver than Ingram was last season, he doesn’t get all the way to the hoop as much. Leonard’s rim frequency was lower than Ingram’s in 2025-26, even if he was a better finisher up close. The two, similarly, like to stop short on their drives more often than not and do most of their damage in the mid-range.

So, whether it’s off timely cuts, bully drives or transition breakaways, Barrett’s knack for getting all the way to the hoop and challenging rim protectors will be given avenues to succeed next to Leonard. Maybe even more so, considering Leonard was eighth in the NBA for pull-up three-point percentage (37.0) among those who attempted at least three per game. Hence why he pulled defenders toward him on the perimeter more than anyone not named Luka Doncic when on-ball during the regular season. That kind of defence-bending gravity should result in even more openings for Barrett to ram himself through.

But what may be even more important than how they play together is how they play apart. Because when the 35-year-old Leonard is inevitably load-managed, the Raptors are going to ask Barrett to scale up his game and carry the scoring load next to Scottie Barnes, who showed he can be a 1A player on offence when the stakes are highest, but likely can’t keep that intensity up for 82 regular-season games.

And Barrett has done it before. In the 1.5 seasons with Toronto before Ingram stepped onto the court, the Mississauga, Ont. native was the Raptors’ leading scorer, averaging just over 21.0 points per game. In nearly 600 minutes without the two-time all-star last season, Barrett ticked up his scoring and playmaking while keeping his efficiency relatively the same, all while maintaining a positive plus-minus. All the while, no starter had a bigger statistical impact on the team’s scoring output than Barrett did — the offence scored 4.4 points per 100 possessions more when he was on the floor versus off.

The last time Leonard was a Raptor, the team went 17-5 in the games he missed. If they’re going to do that again or at least approximate that success, Barrett will have a lot to say about it. There’ll be nights, presumably second-legs of back-to-backs, when the Raptors ask the hometown hero to no longer do more with less, but instead do more with, well, more. And how many of those games end up as victories could mean a lot, not just for the Raptors’ seeding purposes, but for Barrett’s future outlook.

A successful season with this Raptors team could completely rewrite the narratives around him as a player. Once considered a “toxic asset” when dealt away in a move that proved to be massively consequential for the Knicks’ eventual title run, Barrett could redefine who he is and can be for teams around the league.

Becoming a positive player for a title-contending team would lend perfectly to potential free agency efforts. Whether that’s convincing Webster to find the money to keep him north of the border, encouraging another contender to fork over assets to lure him away from the Raptors (maybe as early as the trade deadline), or even talking a lower-tier team on the open market into backing up the Brinks truck to help raise its floor.

Webster said it well: “The best part is (Barrett) is under contract.”

And whether that remains the case with Toronto for years to come or just a couple of months, may depend on how this upcoming season shakes out. All eyes will certainly be on Leonard, but the ball will very much be in Barrett’s court.

The post Raptors, RJ Barrett need each other now more than ever first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Samson Folk, Trevon Heath, and Esfandiar Baraheni discuss the latest with the Raptors.

From Camden’s piece:

“The Raptors summer league squad, headlined by Collin Murray-Boyles, who made the 2025-26 NBA All-Rookie second team, will begin their summer league games on Friday, July 10 against the Boston Celtics at 9pm ET.

Murray-Boyles is joined by this year’s draft selections Allen Graves and Jaden Bradley, as well as multiple members of last year’s Raptors 905 team, including Alijah Martin, Chucky Heburn, AJ Hoggard, Tyson Degenhart, and Tyreke Key.

Other members of the Raptors team include Nate Bittle (signed an Exhibit-10 contract with Toronto), Nimari Burnett (signed an Exhibit-10 contract with Toronto), Brandon Angel (last played overseas) , Aziz Bandaogo (last played overseas), Jalen Celestine (last played at Cincinnati), Seth Lundy (last played on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers), Jamarion Sharp (last played for the Dallas Mavericks G-League team), and Malik Thomas (last played for the Virginia Cavaliers).

The team is led by head coach Ivo Simovic, who currently serves as an assistant coach on newly extended head coach Darko Rajakovic’s coaching staff.

The Raptors are guaranteed to play at least five games, and depending on how they do, they could play more. The Raptors schedule is as follows:

July 10th vs. Boston Celtics at 9pm ET

July 11th vs. Houston Rockets at 9:30pm ET

July 13th vs. Indiana Pacers at 4:30pm ET

July 16th vs. Miami Heat at 9pm ET

A fifth game will be scheduled once the standings are finalized after the game against the Heat. Last season the Raptors finished with a 4-1 record and fell in the semi-finals against the Sacramento Kings. The NBA summer league is an excellent first opportunity for a team to set their identity, last year’s Raptors squad was extremely scrappy on defense and we saw that carry into the regular season.

Mark your calendars because there’s only eight days left until Raptors basketball is back!”

Have a blessed day.

The post DARKO EXTENSION, POTENTIAL FREE AGENTS, SUMMER LEAGUE PREVIEW, ANDERSON SIGNING first appeared on Raptors Republic.

According to Yahoo Sports‘ Kelly Iko, DeMar DeRozan could be looking for a way out of Sacramento. If that’s the case, the Raptors should at least see if there’s a reunion to be had.

DeRozan was the player who helped put the Raptors back on the map. Before the championship, before the sold-out Jurassic Parks and before Toronto became one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference every year.

Alongside Kyle Lowry, another Raptors legend, he helped change the direction of the franchise. The Raptors made the playoffs five straight years, reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 2016 and eventually earned the No. 1 seed in the East.

However, what followed that season was shocking. Just weeks after that 59-win season, Toronto traded DeRozan to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard. It was the move that brought the Raptors their first NBA championship, but it also meant one of the most popular players in franchise history never got to be part of it.

DeRozan at the time was (and still currently is) the franchise leader in field-goals made, minutes played, game played, free throws made and in points. 

Seven years later, the story could come full circle. Leonard is already back. Kyle Lowry is returning to retire as a Raptor. Why not see if DeRozan wants to finish where it all started?

This Raptors squad is still missing a couple pieces from being a legit threat to win it all next season. What they do need is another veteran who can still go get a bucket. Even on a struggling Kings team last season, DeRozan averaged 18.4 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 49.7 per cent from the field. 

Toronto doesn’t have much flexibility when it comes to their money situation and would only be able to offer a veteran minimum contract. Reports have suggested DeRozan would be open to taking less to join the right situation, so if that’s true, there’s at least a conversation to be had.

Will it happen? Who knows. However, after seeing Kawhi come back and Kyle Lowry return to retire in Toronto, bringing DeRozan home suddenly doesn’t feel as impossible as it once did. And if there was ever a time to give one of the greatest Raptors ever a second chance to wear the jersey, this would be it.

The post It’s time for the Raptors to bring DeMar DeRozan home, too first appeared on Raptors Republic.

This past season was the most successful Raptors season in the post-covid era. Darko Rajakovic converted the entire Toronto Raptors fanbase into believers in the last five games of the season. 

Even with a janky roster with a glaring frontcourt weakness, the Raptors exceeded expectations. After three seasons and a playoff series where they nearly took down the league’s most expensve NBA team in history, Darko proved to be the catalyst behind the Raptors’ defensive identity.

‘Defensive identity’ may seem like a nebulous term, but getting players to actually buy into it takes time and effort … just as your identity as X or Y takes time to actually grow some legs.  

The Raptors’ defensive identity was built out of necessity, to compensate for their offensive weaknesses by aggressively trapping, blitzing, and deflecting the ball whenever they can. This brand of basketball necessitated relying on each other – for example, peel switching to mask IQ’s on-ball defensive weakness. And when the blind doubles were too aggressive, Rajakovic learned to modify.

His approach turned bad defenders into serviceable ones and average ones into good ones.

“It’s not just that Coach Darko has teased a great deal of effort out of his roster, but that he’s built in more help for those who need it. …. The Raptors employ more aggressive live-ball switching. If you get beat? You rotate off your man and someone else steps in. It changes the types of passing reads that players are used to making. These types of changes help the Raptors mitigate some of their weaknesses on ball.” – via Samson Folk

This defensive identity also forced fringe players to adapt to Darko’s system. In Rajakovi’s end-of-season presser, he mentioned how five Summer League players – Walter, Lawson, Shead, Battle and CMB – got PT in the playoffs. Lawson and Battle earned their minutes because they contributed to the Raptors’ defensive system, even if their strengths lied on the offensive end of the court. 

“The defence Darko Rajakovic wants is one that pressures and scrambles like crazy, peel-switching behind the play and generating gobs of turnovers in the process. With hard-nosed backcourt disruptors Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter complementing their frontcourt demons, the Raptors forced turnovers on 17.5 percent of their defensive possessions against Cleveland. That was the third-highest for any team in any 2026 playoff series (bested only by the Lakers’ two opponents) and they did it against one of the regular season’s least turnover-prone teams. That style of defence is not a prerequisite for playoff success (the Knicks and Spurs both had relatively low-takeaway systems), but it can clearly still drive success in the age of possession obsession.” – via Joe Wolfond

The Raptors solidified its defensive identity in Darko’s third year, and getting Kawhi to buy into Darko’s defensive system should be fairly easy. With so much of the defence fuelling the offence, he faced challenges in improving Toronto’s offence.

He will continue to face this even though he now has an upgraded roster to rely on.

The post Rajakovic turned us into believers first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Samson Folk, Trevon Heath, and Esfandiar Baraheni discuss the latest with the Raptors.

From Louis’ piece:

“The 2026 playoff Raptors looked to be a piece away. Quickley didn’t play, and he is a helpful piece. Poeltl was injured, and if the Raptors can expect better healthy from him, his addition would be enormous. Collin Murray-Boyles ascended. Barnes transcended. To add a wing defender, a play finisher, a half-court terminator: that would push the Raptors from first-round threat to deep playoff weapon.

But health would, in many ways, be the determining factor. Not only Leonard’s: Poeltl’s, Barnes’, even Quickley’s. The Raptors were not a deep team last year, and they would arguably be less deep this upcoming season if they traded for Leonard.

A five-man lineup of Quickley, RJ Barrett, Leonard, Barnes, and Murray-Boyles could run roughshod over virtually any grouping in the league. The team would still be missing paint touches, driving, and general rim attacking; Barrett’s importance to the Raptors’ playoff hopes would become even more important. The team would also be missing guard play and pick-and-roll creation. Perhaps the Raptors could add a paint-attacking guard to help for the playoff push if the Leonard deal happened.

But with Leonard on board, the Raptors would remain a transition terror and a defensive powerhouse. Barnes would likely see his passing windows even wider, and he could finally push for a First or Second All-Defensive Team slot if he had Leonard taking weight off his shoulders next season. The Raptors’ scoring would be far more stable in general.

It’s not hard to imagine a Leonard-led Raptors team winning 55 or 60 games and having home-court advantage for the first few rounds of the playoffs. That would be conditional on plenty, nothing more so than health. But that’s the gamble that teams make all the time. Leonard’s addition would take Toronto to the next level. And the team’s playoff performance proved that there aren’t too many more levels between the Raptors and the league’s elite. Acquiring Leonard would be a gamble worth making.

Let the good times roll (again).”

Have a blessed day.

The post Do Kawhi Leonard & Scottie Barnes make the Raptors contenders? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Samson Folk, Esfandiar Baraheni, and Trevon Heath detail the Raptors latest signing.

From Camden’s piece:

“The Toronto Raptors have signed Kyle Anderson to a one-year $3.9 million veteran minimum contract according to a report by ESPN insider Shams Charania late Thursday afternoon.

This move leaves the Raptors roster with just two more open spots alongside two two-way spots and Blake Murphy reports that Anderson’s deal counts as just $2.4 million for cap purposes.

Anderson previously played with the newest Raptor, Kawhi Leonard, when he began his career in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs. Over his 12 seasons in the league, Anderson has played for six different teams, having stints with the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and the Utah Jazz. Last season alone, Anderson played for three different teams, suiting up for the Jazz and making stops with two of his previous teams in Memphis and Minnesota.

Anderson, or “Slo Mo” as he’s often called, comes by his nickname honestly, as he tends to play at a relatively slow pace, and his jumpshot, well, looks like it’s in slow motion.

The 32-year-old is a six-foot-eight forward, and over his career has averaged 6.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 48% from the field and 34% from three. In the modern NBA he has the capability to play small-ball five, and he’s a strong connective playmaker on the offensive end. Defensively he fits the Raptors mantra of ‘hands’ as he boasts high block and steal rates for his position as well.

He should be a solid depth piece and veteran for the team, though he stacks on the roster’s strengths rather than addressing any of their major weaknesses in size, rim protection, or shooting. Anderson has been coveted by the Raptors for some time, as he was nearly dealt to Toronto in the Davion Mitchell trade in 2025, Josh Lewenberg reports.”

Have a blessed day.

The post RAPTORS SIGN KYLE ANDERSON Live Reaction first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The Raptors have scheduled a press conference for Tuesday, July 7 (07/07), a nod to the No. 7 Lowry wore during his time with the team, with the organization calling it a “monumental moment” in franchise history.

According to reports, the ceremony is also expected to be the beginning of a larger celebration of Lowry’s career. His No. 7 jersey is expected to be retired during the 2026-27 season, joining only Vince Carter’s No. 15 in the rafters at Scotiabank Arena.

For Raptors fans, this has been a long time coming. He’ll retire from Toronto as the franchise leader in assists, steals, three-pointers made, triple-doubles and win shares, but those numbers are only part of the reason he’s widely considered the greatest Raptor of all time.

Lowry built his reputation doing everything that helped teams win. Whether it was taking a charge, diving on the floor for a loose ball, or knocking down a big shot, he had a way of making winning plays that didn’t always show up in the box score.

Over his time with the Raptors, Lowry has had some amazing moments. He averaged 17.5 points, 7.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc. He earned six straight All-Star selections from 2015 to 2020 and was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2017.

His defining moment of his career came in 2019. Alongside Kawhi Leonard, Lowry helped lead the Raptors to the first NBA championship in franchise history. He set the tone in Game 6 of the NBA Finals with 11 points in the opening quarter before Toronto went on to defeat the Golden State Warriors and bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Canada for the first time.

The timing of Lowry’s retirement also makes this week a memorable one for Raptors fans. Just days after the franchise reunited with Kawhi Leonard, another face from that championship team is returning to Toronto.

Some players leave a franchise with great numbers. Lowry leaves as the standard every future Raptor will be measured against. Welcome home GROAT and congratulations.

The post The GROAT is coming home: Kyle Lowry to retire as a Raptor first appeared on Raptors Republic.