The Toronto Raptors’ preseason opener against the Miami Heat made one thing hard to ignore: the five spot looks thin. That concern had already been hanging over the roster all offseason, with questions about whether Jakob Poeltl and Collin Murray-Boyles were enough there. After one preseason game, that answer feels like no.
That’s why Kevin O’Connor’s recent Yahoo Sports piece stands out for Toronto. In discussing how the Milwaukee Bucks could control the trade market during a transitional season after Giannis, O’Connor noted that Kel’el Ware could be available.
Ware also fits as a useful piece for Milwaukee’s rebuild, or as a trade chip they could move later in the season. For the Raptors, that kind of name should at least be on the radar.
Ware brings something Toronto’s frontcourt doesn’t really have: spacing. He’d also come on an affordable contract and is only 22 years old, which makes him the sort of big who could ease a lot of the pressure on Poeltl. In 2025-26, Ware played 77 games and posted 11.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while hitting 39.5 percent of his threes on 3.0 attempts per game.
The appeal is pretty clear if Toronto wants to build a true committee at center. A stretch five would give Darko Rajakovic a different kind of frontcourt balance, especially alongside the options the Raptors already have.
Collin Murray-Boyles can serve as a small-ball, switchable defensive five. Poeltl is the traditional post-up big.
Ware would bring the rare blend of shot-blocking and floor spacing.
That mix matters because Toronto’s spacing has been a real issue, and Ware could help smooth it out. The picture of Scottie Barnes pushing in transition and dropping the ball off to a trailing Ware for a three is an easy one to imagine.
There are still questions, though. Ware has drawn concerns about his drive and motor, and Toronto would need to believe its setup could bring more out of him. Rajakovic’s emphasis on player empowerment could make the Raptors a sensible landing spot in that regard.
The bigger problem is whether Toronto has the kind of assets Milwaukee would want. Ware is not even a year removed from being a central piece in the return for Giannis, so a deal would not come cheap. But if he starts slowly, or if things go sideways with Taylor Jenkins and he ends up on the trade block, Bobby Webster would have to make the call.
It’s a best-case scenario, sure. But it’s not an impossible one. And if the Raptors get to the point where they can genuinely think about contending, a big with Ware’s size, shooting, and upside could be exactly the kind of frontcourt swing that changes the look of the roster.
In Other News...
Jaden Bradley Now Faces A Tough Raptors Question
Jaden Bradleys summer with Toronto gave the Raptors enough reason to take a longer look at him, and they did just that after his five games in NBA Summer League. The guard flashed enough promise to project as a rotation piece down the line, and the organization responded by keeping him in the fold as it continues to sort through its young backcourt options.
The wrinkle for Bradley is that a bigger contract does not automatically mean a bigger immediate role. Toronto still plans to develop him with the Raptors 905, which leaves him balancing the confidence of a standard deal with the reality of earning minutes the hard way, while Jamal Sheads recent extension adds another name to an already crowded guard picture. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors May Need To Rethink RJ Barretts Role Fast
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What makes this more interesting is how naturally his game fits a different sort of role. Torontos second group needs offense and a steady creator, and Barretts ability to attack with the ball could give that bench a real lift. The bigger question is whether the Raptors decide to adjust his usage quickly enough to make that happen, because his fit may be less about where he starts and more about where he can actually run the show. [Read more 🡒]
Chucky Hepburn Is Giving The Raptors A Tough Guard Decision
Chucky Hepburn keeps making it harder for the Raptors to look past him. The second-year guard has been turning preseason minutes into a legit argument for more, and his latest showing against Miami fit the template Toronto has probably come to expect by now: active defense, steady effort and enough polish on offense to stay on the floor. For a team with real guard depth, that matters, because the margins for a two-way player are supposed to be thin this time of year.
Hepburn arrived in Toronto after going undrafted in 2025, then earned attention by winning ACC Defensive Player of the Year before signing on. He is also working his way back from January surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee, which makes every productive outing feel a little more meaningful. The question for the Raptors is whether the defensive reputation that got him here can be paired with enough offense to push him beyond a developmental lane and into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]