Brandon Ingram

Atlantic Notes: Ujiri, Rajakovic, Raptors, Sixers’ Trio, Knicks Bigs

April 17th, 2025 at 10:03pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors‘ front office, led by president Masai Ujiri, is determined to get the team back into championship contention, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. In his end-of-season news conference, Ujiri expressed that he wasn’t able to enjoy Toronto’s championship in 2019 as much as he would’ve liked and that all he thinks about is getting his team back to that spot.

“[Our goal] is getting better and adding more players and building this team and growing to be a championship team,” Ujiri said. “A championship is the end goal of all of this, and when that comes, we don’t know, but we have to identify those players and build with those kinds of players.”

The Raptors took a big swing by acquiring Brandon Ingram at the deadline and giving him a multiyear extension before he played a game for the team.

“At the end of the day, you have to acquire talent,” Ujiri said. “We have to do it in a unique way in the market that we’re in and we’ve got to jump on opportunities that come our way, sometimes after we really study them.”

Ujiri’s comments this week represented a departure from the ones he made a year ago, when he expressed a willingness to embark on a multiyear rebuild, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. Toronto did maximize its draft talent this year, with rookies Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead and Jamison Battle all stepping up and playing big roles.

“I was really happy with the way these guys played and hopefully their development comes up more and more,” Ujiri said. “Yeah, we tried to attack the odds in the lottery and see what we can do. It’s a good draft. And honestly, wherever we fall, we feel very confident. Our guys have done a lot of work all year. We’re extremely excited.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The pressure to win has been relatively low in Toronto with the team acquiring and developing so many young players, Grange writes in another piece. But with the Raptors‘ focus shifting toward winning, head coach Darko Rajakovic is ready for the team’s next phase and has the full buy-in of his players. “He’s a really good coach. He cares about us. He really does,” RJ Barrett said. “He comes in and he challenges us every single day. And it’s nice when you know that you have somebody that cares about you — makes you want to play even harder for them. Darko’s a guy you can have conversations with about anything, and he’s very helpful. Always teaching, but he listens to us and our ideas. Yeah. So, like, that stuff is great.”
Sixers wing Paul George wants the team’s big three – himself, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid – to spend more time together this offseason, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “I think that’s very important,” George said. “We’ve already talked about seeing each other, where we’re going to be this summer. So we’ve already had those conversations about connecting once the season’s over. I think it’s very important. I don’t think it’s healthy to go two, three months before seeing each other, regardless of if we’re checking in over the phone. It’s just different seeing each other.“
The Knicks might turn to two-big lineups in the playoffs against the Pistons, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns only played 47 minutes together this season, but that two-man grouping outscored opponents by 9.2 points per 100 possessions. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said that despite the small sample size, he liked what he saw from that pairing.

Raptors Notes: Ingram, Barnes, Next Season

April 15th, 2025 at 5:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors forward Brandon Ingram had some “aggravation” in his injured left ankle, which led to last week’s PRP injection, Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets. Ingram added that “things are trending in the right way.”

Ingram, acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline, will have to wait until next season to make his Raptors debut. He played his last game on Dec. 7, when he was injured against Oklahoma City.

We have more on the Raptors:

When Ingram returns, coach Darko Rajakovic doesn’t want the high-scoring forward to shy away from taking mid-range shots, according to Lewenberg (Twitter links). “I told Brandon I don’t want to change him… He needs to be himself,” Rajakovic said. “People are always going to talk about, oh, mid-range… Brother, if you can make a shot from that position, go for it.”
The head coach also considers Scottie Barnes the team’s leader at both ends of the floor. “Scottie Barnes is a unicorn. I love Scottie Barnes. I love everything he does,” Rajakovic said. “Scottie Barnes is the reason our defense was so good and improving this season because Scottie Barnes puts so much into it.”
Members of the organization are happy with the way Barnes has embraced that leadership role, Lewenberg writes for TSN.ca. “[Leadership] is never easy but I’m really willing to learn,” Barnes said. “And then you take things that you see from other people, as well, and you find ways to [implement] it. It’s all about being comfortable and I feel comfortable talking to these guys. We’re a great team and we get along with each other really well, so it makes it easy.”
Although Toronto only won 30 games, the core players are very optimistic about next season, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. Barnes expects to be preparing for the postseason at this time next year. “My expectations for the team? I expect us to be really good,” he said. “For sure getting into the playoffs and make a great run. With the team that we have, there are no excuses. We should be in the playoffs and make a good run.”

Injury Notes: Ivey, Ingram, Wells, T. Jones

April 10th, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Jaden Ivey continues to progress in his recovery from the broken left fibula he suffered on New Year’s Day, according to the Pistons, who announced on Thursday (via Twitter) that the third-year guard has been cleared for basketball activities.

Ivey is entering the initial phase of his reconditioning program and will continue to progress in his on-court work, the team stated, adding that he’ll be reevaluated in two weeks.

While Ivey obviously won’t make it back during the regular season, it’s worth noting that the Pistons have yet to formally rule him out for the postseason. Detroit has clinched a playoff spot and will be in the midst of the conference quarterfinals in two weeks.

Of course, there’s still no guarantee that Ivey will be able to return and contribute in the playoffs, but the longer the Pistons can stay alive, the better the odds are that he’ll have a chance to play again this spring.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has been shut down for the rest of the 2024/25 season after receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his injured left ankle this week, head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters on Wednesday (story via Ian Harrison of The Associated Press). Ingram, acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline, has yet to make his Raptors debut, having been out with his ankle injury since early December. “It’s what he needs,” Rajakovic said of the injection, adding that Ingram is expected to be good to go for training camp in the fall. “He’s been recovering really well.”
After being discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells was in attendance at the team’s shootaround on Thursday, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Wells, who fractured his wrist and sustained a facial laceration as a result of the hard fall he took in Tuesday’s game, won’t be able to return to action anytime soon, but was “in decent spirits” on Thursday, according to Grizzlies wing Vince Williams.
Bulls point guard Tre Jones, who sprained his left foot last month, still doesn’t appear close to returning to action. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Jones was still wearing a walking boot as of Wednesday night. While the team hasn’t provided an official update recently, it seems increasingly unlikely that the veteran guard will have a chance to return this season unless the Bulls advance beyond the play-in tournament.

Raptors’ Gradey Dick Out For Rest Of Season

April 4th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors wing Gradey Dick, who has been out since March 2 due to a right knee injury, will be shut down for the final 10 days of the season, bringing his second year in the NBA to an early end, head coach Darko Rajakovic said today, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).

A lottery pick in 2023, Dick increased his scoring average to 14.4 points per game in 2024/25, though his shooting numbers dipped slightly across the board to .410/.350/.858. He also contributed 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29.4 minutes per night across 54 games (all starts).

Considered one of the long-term building blocks in Toronto, Dick is under contract for $4.99MM next season. The Raptors will have until October 31 to determine whether or not to pick up his $7.13MM team option for 2026/27 — it’s a safe bet that option will be exercised, putting Dick on track to become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason.

Rajakovic also provided reporters, including Lewenberg (Twitter link), with an update on Brandon Ingram on Friday. The forward has been able to do more on-court activities and is trending in the right direction in his recovery from a significant left ankle sprain that has sidelined him since December 7, according to Rajakovic.

The team is hopeful Ingram will be cleared for contact and fully participate in a practice next week, but with just four games left on Toronto’s schedule after tonight, time is running out for him to make his Raptors debut this season.

While it’d be nice for the Raptors if they could get a look at Ingram alongside Scottie Barnes for a game or two before season’s end, it’s likely not a major priority for the club, which is prioritizing its draft lottery odds at this point and acquired and extended Ingram with an eye toward 2025/26 and beyond.

As for Barnes, while the Raptors’ franchise player spoke on Thursday about wanting to play as much as possible in the final stretch of the season, he’ll be held out of Friday’s game vs. Detroit (the second end of a back-to-back) due to an MCP joint contusion in his right hand (Twitter link via Lewenberg). There’s no indication at this point that Barnes’ absence will extend beyond one game.

Pelicans’ Trey Murphy Discusses Breakout Season, Zion, More

March 6th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

It has largely been a season to forget for the Pelicans, who hold the fourth-worst record in the NBA in part due to a crushing — and seemingly never-ending — wave of injuries. However, one silver lining has been the standout play of Trey Murphy.

The 24-year-old is posting career highs in virtually every major statistic in 2024/25, including points (21.7), rebounds (5.2), assists (3.8), steals (1.2), blocks (0.7), and minutes (35.6) per game through 46 appearances.

Murphy, who signed a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension in October (it begins in ’25/26), recently discussed a number of topics in an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. Here are a few highlights.

On his breakout season:

“I’m just trying to get better. I’m understanding that I’m still young and have a long career ahead of me. I just want to build good habits and develop my game. That’s been the biggest thing this season, especially with all the injuries and stuff like that. Those are things we can’t control. The biggest things we can control now is just developing my game and finding ways to get better. … When guys go down, people feel like they have to elevate their roles. So they have to shoot more. I feel like, especially the last three weeks, that my assist numbers have been going up. We’re seeing different coverages. My threat to score has been the biggest thing for me.”

On his nine-figure contract extension:

“It means a lot. Being able to secure generational wealth is great as well as being able to take care of my family. It shows that they believe in me. It means a lot. So it makes me want to continue to work hard and prove them right on their investment.”

On being encouraged by how Zion Williamson responded following a one-game suspension for reportedly missing a team flight and being late for multiple practices:

“He’s been really good. He’s been really good. I’ve seen a big step from him, maturity-wise. It’s been great to see. … Overall, the biggest thing is that he’s been leading by example. He’s been stepping up defensively and talking. He’s sharing the ball offensively. He’s been a complete player.”

On learning from CJ McCollum:

“CJ is probably the person that I look up to the most when it comes to basketball-related things. When I’m his age, I want to be in the position that he’s in with still being super-efficient and still a pro’s pro and is about his business. He has really shown me a lot about the business on and off the court. I’m very appreciative of him. … With how he carries himself, he’s very about taking care of business and making sure to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Murphy’s interview with Medina also touches on how he and the team have dealt with injuries, his close relationship with Brandon Ingram, and how he’s developing into a vocal leader, among other topics. It’s worth reading in full if you’re a fan of the Pelicans and/or Murphy.

Raptors Provide Injury Updates On Ingram, Several Others

March 6th, 2025 at 1:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Former All-Star forward Brandon Ingram has yet to make his Raptors debut after being acquired in a trade with New Orleans ahead of last month’s deadline. He has been sidelined since December 7, when he suffered a “significant” left ankle sprain.

While Ingram has been able to increase his on-court activity in recent days, he’s still limited to solo work, with no timeline for his return to games or practices, the team announced today (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). The next update on Ingram, who signed a three-year, $120MM extension with Toronto shortly after the trade, will come in two weeks.

As Lewenberg relays (via Twitter), the Raptors also provided injury updates on several other players on Thursday afternoon. Third-year wing Ochai Agbaji, who sprained his left ankle last week vs. Chicago, is no longer in a walking boot and will ramp up his activity, but he has yet to resume practicing. Agbaji will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.

Rookie big man Jonathan Mogbo sustained a nasal fracture on Tuesday against Orlando and will miss at least one week. The former San Francisco star will wear a mask for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, tweets Lindsay Dunn of CityNews Toronto. As we noted a couple days ago, second-year guard Gradey Dick will be out at least two weeks due to a right knee injury.

On a more positive note, rookie sharpshooter Jamison Battle will be active going forward after missing the past five games with a broken nose. Veteran wing Garrett Temple is also back with the Raptors after being away from the team due to personal reasons.

Atlantic Notes: Poeltl, Ingram, Brunson, Towns, Robinson, Embiid

March 5th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors center Jakob Poeltl sees last month’s trade for Brandon Ingram as proof that the organization expects to be competitive next season, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Although Ingram hasn’t played since suffering a sprained ankle November 22 while he was still with New Orleans, he has started working out before games. Even if he has to wait until next season to see Ingram in action, Poeltl is excited about the core group that has been put together.

“(The trade) just kind of followed up on what they’ve been talking about, well, really, for the past year, year and a half, which is like, ‘No, we don’t want to tank and go through the draft.’ They wanted to get back to winning quickly. Obviously,” he said. “Yes, you got to try and build up a new team. You got to build on some young guys, and you got to go through some more difficult times, but they’ve always communicated that they want to be aggressive, making moves like that. And so, yeah, I think it’s really good, and it’s good for us as a team.”

The Raptors are also being careful with Poeltl, who is operating under a minutes restriction due to a hip injury he suffered last month and frequently doesn’t play beyond the third quarter. He would prefer to be challenging for a playoff spot, but he understands why the team has dedicated the final few weeks of the season to developing its young talent.

“Obviously, you want to win games, like there’s no way around it,” he said. “I want to win games now, and sometimes it’s frustrating to lose games when you’re in that learning process. But I think, like you said, I’m one of those guys. I can see the big picture. I can understand the process, and bought into it, so I know what to expect, and then I’m OK with that.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks saw Tuesday’s game slip away when Golden State started double-teaming Jalen Brunson in the fourth quarter and taking the ball out of his hands, observes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. That strategy led to five straight empty possessions, which allowed the Warriors to pull away. Brunson called it “something we can learn from,” but the Knicks still haven’t shown their offense can be effective without Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed the game due to personal reasons. Towns is expected back on Thursday when New York starts a five-game West Coast swing, sources tell Bondy (Twitter link).
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is only averaging 13.7 minutes in three games since returning from ankle surgery, but his playing time is expected to increase on the road trip, Bondy adds. Bondy also questions coach Tom Thibodeau’s decision to remove Precious Achiuwa from the rotation now that Robinson is playing again.
Keith Smith of Spotrac examines the Sixers‘ options with Joel Embiid, concluding that there’s no easy way to cut ties with the injured center if he’s unable to regain his All-NBA form. Embiid has four years and a projected $248MM left on his contract after this season, leading to him, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey taking up nearly the team’s entire salary cap over the next three years. Unless Philadelphia can find someone willing to trade for Embiid’s hefty contract, the only options are a waive-and-stretch procedure, which wouldn’t be possible until after the 2026/27 season, or a medical retirement, which would have to be approved by the Fitness to Play panel or by a doctor jointly selected by the NBA and the players union.

Scotto: Trae Young, LaMelo Ball Among Players To Monitor In Offseason

March 3rd, 2025 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Hawks guard Trae Young has just one guaranteed year left on his contract after this season, with a player option for 2026/27. As he nears potential free agency, executives around the NBA are wondering whether Atlanta will be looking to extend Young this offseason or whether he might emerge as a trade candidate, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

As Scotto notes, Young has spoken about wanting to win a championship in Atlanta with head coach Quin Snyder, and the Hawks have an intriguing collection of young talent around him, including forward Jalen Johnson, defensive ace Dyson Daniels, and 2024’s No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.

However, the Hawks have been a middle-of-the-pack team since making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, compiling between 36 and 43 wins and failing to get out of the first round of the playoffs in each of the three years since then — this season, they’re on pace for 37 wins and another play-in spot. They also don’t control their own first-round picks in any of the next three drafts.

Additionally, Scotto writes, Hawks ownership will be looking to avoid surpassing the luxury tax threshold in 2025/26, which could affect their ability to re-sign free agents such as Clint Capela, Caris LeVert, and/or Larry Nance Jr. — or to bring in additional talent.

Atlanta did have talks with the Pelicans prior to this year’s trade deadline about forward Brandon Ingram, with Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, De’Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic among the names that came up in those multi-team discussions, Scotto reports. Ingram was ultimately sent to Toronto, with the Hawks sending Hunter to Cleveland and Bogdanovic to the Clippers.

Shortly after the trade deadline passed last month, NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) referred to Young’s future in Atlanta as “murky,” while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) wondered if the 26-year-old might request a trade this summer. Scotto doesn’t quite go that far, but says Young’s situation in Atlanta is one that executives around the league will be monitoring in the coming months.

Here’s more from Scotto on players to watch entering the 2025 offseason:

Rival executives are curious about whether point guard LaMelo Ball is still at the forefront of the Hornets‘ long-term plans and will be keeping an eye on him this offseason, Scotto reports. Veteran forward Miles Bridges is another name to watch in Charlotte, since his contract has a declining salary structure that was meant to make it more trade-friendly, Scotto adds. It also remains to be seen whether the Hornets will put center Mark Williams back on the trade block after a deadline deal with the Lakers fell through due to medical concerns.
RJ Barrett‘s name came up in the Ingram trade talks between the Raptors and Pelicans, but New Orleans didn’t view the forward as an ideal fit on their roster, according to Scotto, who suggests that Barrett could emerge as a trade candidate this summer with Toronto prioritizing Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and Gradey Dick. The former No. 3 overall pick is under contract for $57MM+ across two more years after this season.
NBA executives widely expect Wizards forward Khris Middleton to pick up his $33.35MM player option for 2025/26, Scotto reports. If he does, he and guard Marcus Smart – who will have an expiring $21.59MM deal, will be trade candidates to monitor in Washington. The same goes for Richaun Holmes, though his expiring $13.28MM contract only features a small partial guarantee ($250K), so he’s probably more likely to be waived than traded.

Raptors Notes: Barnes, Play-In, Quickley, Ingram

February 21st, 2025 at 7:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Entering their first post-All-Star game vs. the Heat on Friday, the Raptors held a 17-38 record, the fifth-worst mark in the NBA. While fans in Toronto might like to see them finish the season by cementing their spot in the league’s bottom five and positioning themselves for a top pick in the 2025 draft, that’s not Scottie Barnes‘ plan, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

“They can be excited (about the draft lottery),” Barnes said on Thursday. “I don’t really give a damn about it. I’m trying to go out there and win games, try to possibly make something happen. So, they can try to be excited for that, but my mindset’s on a different place.

“… I look at the standings every day. We’re still in that fight. We still could make something happen. That’s my motivation. When I look at it, I see that we still have a chance. The team, we feel like we still want to win. We feel great going into every single game with the mindset and focus of trying to get better and trying to achieve that goal of winning.”

In a normal season, those sorts of comments from a player on a 17-38 team might be written off as hopelessly optimistic. But in this year’s Eastern Conference, the idea of the Raptors making the play-in tournament isn’t entirely out of the question.

The No. 10 Bulls are just 4.5 games ahead of Toronto and have lost five games in a row. The No. 11 Sixers have dropped six straight. And the No. 12 Nets were plummeting down the standings before winning six of seven prior to the All-Star break. As Grange points out, the Raptors also have – by far – the easiest rest-of-season schedule of any NBA team by winning percentage, with a total of seven games still remaining against Washington, Utah, and Charlotte.

We have more on the Raptors:

Barnes limped off the court and into the locker room near the first quarter of Friday’s game vs. Miami after turning his right ankle, which he sprained earlier this season, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter thread). However, the star forward was deemed available to return to the game.
In the first season of a five-year, $162.5MM contract that raised eyebrows when it was reported last summer, Immanuel Quickley has had to deal with injuries affecting his wrist, pelvis, elbow, and groin and has played just 16 games. As Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes within a profile of the fifth-year guard, Quickley believes missing so much time due to health issues caused him to focus more on being a vocal leader for the team. “I think, if anything, I probably (spoke) maybe even more (than usual), because that’s really the only way you can help,” he said. “So, just try to (help) in any way I can help, especially being a young team — just all the experiences I’ve been through, what I’ve been able to learn. I try to give back to the guys.”
Reacting to the Raptors’ three-year, $120MM extension for newly acquired forward Brandon Ingram, one rival executive tells ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst (Insider link) that he thinks the price was “too expensive” for the former All-Star, who has been limited to 18 appearances this season due to injuries. “I don’t think Ingram gets that deal if he’d have hit free agency, especially the player option, but it depends on how he would’ve finished the season in New Orleans (had he not been traded),” another league executive told ESPN. “They obviously really like him and think he’s a good fit, but they bid against themselves on that deal — and they bid against themselves on Quickley.”
Ingram is still “not close” to playing, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said this week, per Lewenberg (Twitter link). However, the 27-year-old, who has been out since December 7 due to a badly sprained ankle, is doing some light on-court work. “He’s limited with what he can do with his ankle,” Rajakovic said on Thursday. “But his upper body, lifting, we can get on that right now. … I’m hopeful he’ll be able to ramp up his workouts.”

Eastern Notes: Ingram, Lonzo, Moore, E. Thompson

February 18th, 2025 at 11:23am CST by Luke Adams

He hasn’t appeared in a game for his new team yet, but Brandon Ingram has already made franchise history for the Raptors, contends Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.

As Lewenberg explains, Ingram is the first All-Star player to “chart a course to Toronto in the prime of his career.” Conversely, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, and DeMar DeRozan were drafted and developed by the Raptors; Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard didn’t view Toronto as a preferred destination when they were traded there; and Hakeem Olajuwon was in his twilight years when he chose to sign with Toronto.

Although it’s unclear whether Toronto was the No. 1 landing spot on Ingram’s wish list, the Raptors were believed to be one of the teams – along with the Hawks – the 27-year-old targeted as an ideal fit, Lewenberg writes. That was backed up by the fact that Ingram quickly signed a three-year, $120MM extension with the Raptors just days after the trade was completed.

That three-year deal will pay Ingram a salary of $38,095,238 in 2025/26 and exactly $40MM in ’26/27, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. The star forward will hold a $41,904,762 player option for the ’27/28 season.

“First thing that I heard [from the Raptors] is they want to make me an All-Star again and I’m going to be a big part of what they do moving forward,” Ingram told reporters last week. “I want to come here and learn. I want to come here and be a sponge, shift the culture, make it a winning culture and come in here and just listen. Do whatever coach (Darko Rajakovic) needs me to do and go out and try to be an example every single day.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Lonzo Ball‘s new two-year, $20MM extension with the Bulls has a flat year-over-year structure, Hoops Rumors has learned. Ball’s $10MM salary in 2025/26 is fully guaranteed, then Chicago holds a $10MM team option for ’26/27.
Wendell Moore‘s new two-way contract with the Hornets is just a rest-of-season deal, Hoops Rumors has learned. Charlotte’s other two-way players, KJ Simpson and Damion Baugh, are under contract through next season on two-year, two-way contracts. Moore also won’t be eligible for a qualifying offer this summer — because he previously had his 2025/26 rookie scale team option declined, the third-year shooting guard will automatically become an unrestricted free agent.
Ethan Thompson, who has played primarily in the G League since going undrafted in 2021, referred to his new two-way contract with the Magic as a “dream come true,” adding that playing for the organization – including Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic – has “felt like home,” according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). “It was a surreal moment,” Thompson said of signing his first NBA two-way contract. “My mom instantly cried. My father is proud; my brother is proud as well. It’s a great thing to be able to share that with them.”

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