With training camp getting closer, the Toronto Raptors look mostly set - and that leaves a handful of players fighting for clarity at the bottom of the roster.
The Kawhi Leonard deal left Toronto with an awkward number of spots, and the expectation now is that the team will carry a 14-man roster heading into opening night on Wednesday, October 21st. The Raptors also have very little room under the first apron, which likely helped explain why Jaden Bradley was given a standard contract.
Most of the rotation already feels locked in. The bigger questions are about the fringe pieces: who gets squeezed out, who hangs around as depth, and who might be waiting for an opening that never comes.
Bradley, the 50th overall pick in the NBA draft, was converted from a two-way deal into a four-year contract and now occupies the 14th spot on the 15-man roster. His path to minutes starts on defense. If he can bring the same kind of on-ball pressure that Jamal Shead provides, he could work his way into some of the extra minutes that open up over the course of the season.
Alijah Martin is in a similar fight, but he comes in with a little more familiarity. Toronto liked enough of what it saw from his rookie year to hand him a two-year, $4.75 million standard contract in July.
Like Bradley, he’ll be chasing end-of-rotation minutes in a crowded guard group. There are only so many of those spots to go around for six-foot-two guards off the bench, and that makes the battle between Martin and Bradley even tighter.
Martin does have a year in the system and trust with Coach Darko, and if he keeps bringing the same defensive edge and turnover pressure he showed in limited action last season, his role could become more defined.
At center, the Raptors picked up the team option on Trayce Jackson-Davis, signaling comfort with him as the third-string big. He hasn’t played much since arriving from the Golden State Warriors, but Toronto appears to see him as a useful depth piece.
If Jakob Poeltl misses time, though, it’s still not clear exactly where Jackson-Davis fits in the rotation. And with this being the final year of his deal, he’s also someone to watch if trade chatter starts to pick up.
Trey Jemison III brings a different look in the middle. He has more size and height than Jackson-Davis, and the Raptors would likely turn to him if injuries hit their frontcourt.
Jemison has already had brief stops with the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks, so his NBA path has been all about trying to grab hold of a role. He couldn’t carve one out with those teams, but as a two-way insurance option, he gives Toronto another body at center while spending most of his time with the 905.
The final two-way spot went to Malachi Smith after the Jaden Bradley move, completing that part of the roster alongside Trey Jemison III and Chucky Hepburn. Smith is buried in the guard pecking order behind Alijah Martin, Jaden Bradley and likely Chucky Hepburn, which makes his climb steep.
Still, his scoring is his calling card. In limited run with the Brooklyn Nets last year, he averaged 8.3 points per game while shooting 48.5% from the field and 43.5% from three.
If Toronto chooses to promote a player who offers more offensive punch, Smith could be the one who gets a look.
In Other News...
Brandon Ingram Trade Just Took A Tough Turn For Raptors Fans
Brandon Ingrams next chapter hit an early snag before it even really began, and Raptors fans have reason to take notice. After being dealt from Toronto to the Clippers, Ingram was expected to give Los Angeles a major scoring boost, but the new teams medical staff uncovered a serious issue ahead of training camp, changing the outlook almost immediately.
Ingram had already undergone offseason surgery, and the Clippers have not offered a timetable for when he might return. For Toronto, it is another reminder that the move is already carrying a different kind of risk than the one fans were focused on when the trade first went through, with his availability now in question as the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors May Need Jamison Battle For More Than Just Shooting
Jamison Battle already enters the Raptors conversation with a clear selling point: he can really shoot it. After knocking down better than 40 percent from three-point range in both his rookie season and the year that followed, Battle has become one of the most dependable floor-spacing options on a roster that suddenly needs them more than ever after the Brandon Ingram trade and Sandro Mamukelashvilis departure.
The bigger question in Toronto is whether Battle can offer enough beyond the arc to stay in the rotation. Darko Rajakovic pointed to Battles defensive improvement during media day, and that matters on a team looking for every reliable piece it can find, especially with minutes available for players who can space the floor and hold up on the other end. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi Is Already Sending A Message About The Clippers Fallout
Kawhi Leonards return to Toronto came with the kind of quiet, pointed message that tends to linger around a team long after the microphones are turned off. On his first media session back with the Raptors, Leonard asked that the conversation stay centered on basketball, even as the NBA investigation into him and the Clippers continued to hang over his offseason. He made clear that the process had been a distraction, but he also sounded energized by the chance to rejoin a familiar setting and get back to competing at the level he expects.
For the Raptors, the appeal is as much about fit as it is about talent. Leonard spoke about wanting to compete at a high level and said Toronto offers the right environment for that, which is exactly the sort of message this franchise wants to hear from a player of his stature. The unresolved backdrop remains obvious, but Leonards immediate priority is to move the focus back to his new-old team and the work ahead. [Read more 🡒]