Raptors Close Summer League With Another Loss And More Tough Evaluations

In a closely contested Summer League finale, the Denver Nuggets outpaced the Toronto Raptors with a standout performance from Jahmius Ramsey.

Jahmi’us Ramsey was perfect from the floor and Denver made the big third-quarter push it needed, edging Toronto 96-89 on Sunday in the NBA summer league finale for both teams at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Ramsey led the way with 20 points on 9-for-9 shooting, and he wasn’t alone. The Nuggets got five players into double figures, with Mark Sears adding 17 points and a team-high six assists while also going 7-for-7 at the line. Erik Stevenson and Matthew Murrell each finished with 12 points, and Efe Abogidi posted 11 points and four rebounds.

Toronto kept itself in the game with work around the rim and a late surge, but Denver’s 30-20 third quarter changed the tone after the teams were tied 47-47 at halftime. The Raptors still made things uncomfortable late, trimming the margin to four in the final minute.

Nimari Burnett paced Toronto with 15 points and nine rebounds. Malik Thomas scored 13 points, and AJ Hoggard handed out a game-high nine assists. In the paint, Aziz Bandaogo was a force with six blocks and eight rebounds, while Jamarion Sharp added three blocks and 10 rebounds.

The closing sequence gave Toronto a chance to hang around. After a layup from 2026 second-round pick Jaden Bradley made it 91-87 with 24 seconds left, a technical foul on Toronto sent Sears to the stripe for a key free throw. Ramsey then finished the job with a dunk with 15 seconds remaining.

In Other News...

Raptors Suddenly Face An Offseason Pivot If Kawhi Reunion Stalls

The Raptors entered the summer with a clear idea of how they wanted to reshape the roster, but the plan has been slowed enough that the rest of the offseason now looks different. Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick would still be in place if the Leonard move does not come together, and Kyle Anderson would remain the biggest addition Toronto has made so far, leaving the team with one open roster spot and a little more flexibility than certainty.

From there, Toronto could turn back to familiar faces to finish the job. Ochai Agbaji, Chris Boucher and Kelly Olynyk are all on the list of possible reunions as the Raptors try to round out the bench, and each would give the team a different kind of depth heading into camp. For now, though, the bigger question is whether the front office can keep building around its current core while waiting for the Leonard situation to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]

Warriors' LeBron Chase Just Put A Huge Plan B In Focus

DeMar DeRozan is back in the conversation after being waived, and the market around the six-time All-Star is starting to take shape. Golden State is among the teams weighing him as a possible fallback if its bigger swing for LeBron James does not come together, a reminder that even at this stage of free agency, one star chase can ripple across the rest of the league.

Toronto is one of the other teams mentioned as a possible landing spot, alongside Detroit, the Lakers and Portland, which keeps DeRozan tied to a familiar set of suitors. For the Raptors, the interest is at least notable given his history with the franchise, but the real question is whether the market settles quickly or turns into a waiting game built around where the bigger names land first. [Read more 🡒]