The Raptors just made their center picture a little thinner, and that’s the part of this move that matters most.
Toronto has waived Trey Jemison III, who was on a two-way deal, according to Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy. Jemison got one preseason look with the Raptors and didn’t do much to swing the conversation one way or the other.
In eight minutes, he grabbed six rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Even with that effort, the team moved on.
That leaves Toronto with a familiar problem and fewer bodies to solve it. Jakob Poeltl is the only true center this roster can comfortably point to, and second-year Collin Murray-Boyles is the next name in line for backup center work.
That might survive a preseason stretch. It won’t fly over a full regular season, and it definitely doesn’t look like enough for a team trying to hold up across 2026-27.
The Raptors did show some encouraging signs on the glass in their most recent preseason game, but the broader issue hasn’t gone away. This group still needs size. More specifically, it needs size it can trust when the games stack up.
That’s why the waiver of Jemison III sharpens the focus on Toronto’s remaining options. When people talk about what could keep the Raptors from reaching contender status this season, the usual suspects are floor spacing, guard play, and center depth. Right now, the biggest concern is the big-man rotation.
The good news is that Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead, and Jaden Bradley have all looked strong this preseason, and Toronto got a glimpse of how real the floor spacing can look in Kawhi Leonard’s return. But none of that changes the fact that the frontcourt still feels one injury away from getting stretched too thin.
Two names sit at the center of the discussion: Nate Bittle and Jamarion Sharp. Both spent time with the Raptors in summer league and are on camp deals. Both are massive bodies who can protect the rim, and Bittle brings some floor-spacing upside on top of that.
The issue is whether either is ready for a real NBA workload this season. The answer on Sharp, at least for now, looks like no.
He’s raw and, as it stands, doesn’t seem physically ready even for spot minutes at the NBA level. Bittle is a more appealing option, but injuries are part of the equation there, too.
Toronto now has two open two-way spots after waiving Jemison III and Chucky Hepburn. One of those spots, in my view, should go to Nimari Burnett, who brings a gritty, winning style of play. The Raptors could also decide both openings need to be used on bigs, because the need behind Poeltl is obvious and it’s only become more pressing.
If Toronto does go that route, there’s still the question of whether it wants Sharp or Bittle to be the final answer. Another possibility would be a reunion with former Raptors 2022 second-round pick Christian Koloko, or simply going another direction altogether.
However they choose to fill it, the message is clear: the Raptors already needed center depth, and waiving Jemison III has made that need even more urgent.
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