RJ Barrett Receives PRP Injection, Out At Least One More Week
Raptors wing RJ Barrett recently received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his sprained right knee, and while he’s making progress in his recovery, he will be out at least one more week, the team announced on Monday (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape).
As Spears notes, Toronto hosts New York in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup on Tuesday, and the Raptors will be without Barrett, their third-leading scorer. Jamison Battle (left ankle sprain) is doubtful for Tuesday’s matchup, while key reserve Jamal Shead is questionable because of a right quad contusion.
The No. 3 overall pick of the 2019 draft, Barrett was off to a solid start to 2025/26 prior to sustaining the injury on November 23 vs. Brooklyn. Through 17 games, the 25-year-old guard/forward averaged 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 30.9 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .506/.356/.725.
It’s been an unusual season for Toronto, which won its first game, lost four in a row, won four straight, lost another, reeled off nine consecutive victories, and has now dropped five of its past six games. Despite the recent downturn, the Raptors are still 15-10, the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, though only one game separates them from the No. 9 spot.
Barrett has missed the past eight games due to the knee sprain. The Raptors have gone 3-5 so far without the Toronto native available.
Second-year guard Ja’Kobe Walter has started each of the past five games for Toronto with Barrett sidelined, but has struggled mightily in the past two, going 0-for-9 from the floor in 37 combined minutes. The Raptors were minus-40 when the 21-year-old was on the court over that two-game span.
Raptors Notes: Barnes, Shead, Ingram, Record, Schedule
After a disappointing 1-4 start, the Raptors have been on a tear ever since, winning seven of their past eight games to improve to 8-5. Thursday’s win in Cleveland was the team’s most impressive victory of the season, and Scottie Barnes was the best player on the court, recording 28 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks in 35 minutes.
“I know what I’m capable of, so just gotta bring that every single night,” Barnes said, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. “Be aggressive, attacking downhill, being aggressive on both ends, and I was just helping my teammates a lot. If someone gets beat just trying to be help for them. So just doing those things on both ends. Once I’m aggressive, then I’m attacking downhill and just drawing the defense on me and being able to kick out. You know, just opens up a lot for our team.”
If Barnes continues to play at the level he has lately, the Raptors will be a dangerous team in a seemingly wide-open Eastern Conference, says Eric Koreen of The Athletic. As Koreen writes, Barnes may have been miscast in the past as a No. 1 offensive option, but the acquisition of Brandon Ingram has allowed Barnes to showcase his all-around skills and push the ball hard in transition.
“When you look at 28 points, eight assists and the offensive stuff, it’s easy to identify he had a good game,” head coach Darko Rajaković said. “He does so much more for us — defensively with five blocked shots, (the) deflections that he’s creating, rotations, how he’s covering for us defensively. He’s doing an outstanding job for us.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Barnes was effusive in his praise of 2024 second-round pick Jamal Shead after Thursday’s game, Grange adds. “When he steps on the floor for us, he’s a game changer,” Barnes said of the second-year guard. “We had a lot of games this year where offense looks slow, comes in the game defensively, offensively, changes that entire game. It’s like a little boost, like a little sense of like ‘we’re ready to go’ when he steps on the floor. He changes the game with his offense, defense, be able to get downhill, make those extra reads … he’s super important for our team. He’s been a leader every single day. It’s his, what, second year in the league? And I feel like he’s one of our main leaders.”
- While the starters are still getting used to playing with each other and the defense remains an issue, the offensive attention Ingram draws due to his half-court shot-making has created scoring opportunities for his teammates, Koreen writes for The Athletic. “The reality of it is we haven’t really had a player like him with his play style in the past couple years,” center Jakob Poeltl said after Tuesday’s win at Brooklyn. “(There are) a lot of new situations for us that everyone is trying to get used to. Considering where we are in the season … I think we’re doing a good job.”
- The last time Toronto was three games above .500 was February 2022, when Barnes was a rookie, notes Grange of Sportsnet. It’s been a while since the Raptors were a solid team, but Barnes is optimistic about the future. “It’s been a long time, man,” he told Grange. “I know we’ve probably been struggling here in Toronto, but I’m happy and we’re super blessed to be in this position. But we can’t take nothing for granted. It’s still a grind; we got to still stay hungry. Just because we’re over .500, that don’t mean nothing.”
- As Grange observes in another story, the Raptors have a favorable schedule over their next four games, with upcoming matchups against the Hornets (4-9), Sixers (7-5), Wizards (1-11) and Nets (1-11), giving the team an opportunity to move further up the standings.
Eastern Notes: Ware, Cavs Injuries, Shead, White
Heat second-year big man Kel’el Ware had 14 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in 34 minutes while making his third straight start in place of the injured Bam Adebayo on Monday. Miami pulled out an overtime win over Cleveland and coach Erik Spoelsta heaped praise on Ware.
“That’s the best game he’s played in a Miami Heat uniform,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I don’t care what the stats are. I know he had 20 rebounds. But those efforts on the glass were incredible. And he was reliable defensively. He was with it. He was in the right spots. (Evan) Mobley made a couple great shots, but Kel’el was there. He was there, doing the right thing.”
The Heat have won all three games Ware has filled in for Adebayo.
“I feel like that’s something they always wanted to see,” Ware said. “They’ve been wanting to see it from me. It feels [good] to see them encouraging me on that end and proud of me for bringing that out.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Cavaliers will be missing three starters in their rematch against Miami on Wednesday, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets. Darius Garland (injury management — left big toe), Donovan Mitchell (rest) and Evan Mobley (rest) are listed as out, while Larry Nance Jr. (knee contusion) is considered questionable.
- Jamal Shead has continued to give the Raptors a reliable play-maker off the bench in his second season, Michael Grange of Sportnet writes. “He’s able to do a lot of things,” forward Brandon Ingram said. “We know what he can do on the defensive end, but he’s able to attack the paint, he’s always searching for guys. He knows he’s playing with scorers, so when he gets the ball, he’s trying to attack, and he always knows where guys are.” In 10 games, Shead is averaging 6.4 points and 5.0 assists, compared to 1.1 turnovers, in 17.4 minutes per game. He’s making just $1.96MM this season and Toronto holds a club option on his contract for next season.
- Coby White (strained right calf) made it through a practice on Monday with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate. White, who has yet to make his season debut, could return at some point during the team’s upcoming road trip, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports, though he won’t play on Wednesday when they visit Detroit. ‘‘Everything that I heard was that it went well,’’ head coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘I think the biggest thing is always trying to find out the next day how it went. The plan right now . . . would be to get back into practice with us when we get back from Detroit. We’ll have three days. One of those days, we’ll certainly have contact. The plan is to get him into that practice pretty extensively.’’
Raptors Notes: Brown, Ingram, Dick, Walter, Shead
A number of fans in Toronto took exception to comments Bruce Brown made about his time with the Raptors ahead of training camp last week. The veteran guard, who is back with the Nuggets after spending the past two seasons with the Pacers, Raptors, and Pelicans, spoke at media day about being part of “a lot of losing basketball” since leaving the Nuggets as a free agent in 2023 and told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he had thought about coming back to Denver “as soon as I got to Toronto.”
Ahead of the Nuggets’ game against the Raptors on Monday, Brown spoke to Kayla Grey of TSN (Twitter link) about those remarks, explaining that they weren’t intended as a shot at Toronto or the Raptors.
“Media day, they asked me, ‘When did you think about getting to Denver’ And I said when I got to Toronto. That wasn’t like I didn’t want to go Toronto,” Brown said. “I went to Indy. I finally chose where I could go, and three months in, they trade me, and I’m like, ‘Why the f–k did I go? I could have stayed in Denver and been happy.’
“I think Toronto’s one of the best cities in the NBA, easily. Like, I loved my time in Toronto. It’s insane. So don’t let people on social media twist my words, because I loved my time in Toronto. But it’s just the beast of it.”
Here are a few more notes on the Raptors:
- Scottie Barnes failed to make a field goal and all five Raptors starters had negative net ratings in the team’s preseason opener against Denver on Monday. Still, while the game showed that there’s plenty of room for improvement, Brandon Ingram‘s Raptors debut was an encouraging one, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who notes that the veteran forward looked “perfectly comfortable” generating half-court offense, which is why the team traded for him last season. Ingram had a team-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
- Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter were the Raptors’ first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, respectively, but their roles for the 2025/26 season aren’t guaranteed. According to Grange, both players are embracing the challenge of having to fight for minutes in Toronto’s rotation. “This is the first time in my life, no doubt, that I’ve had to (battle for minutes),” Walter said on Sunday. “It’s definitely the first time, I’d say, where I haven’t been like the main guy on the team, but you know, I love it. I like the competitiveness. I like the drive I have to have every day.”
- Second-year Raptors point guard Jamal Shead has emerged as the leader among the club’s younger players, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. While Koreen likens Shead’s role to the one Fred VanVleet played on a young second unit during his early years in Toronto, the 23-year-old downplayed his impact. “Honestly, it’s just information. I’m a point guard. I give out information. They take it, they receive it, and then we move on from there,” Shead said. “I don’t think it’s more of them just following me (because) I’m the best leader ever. I think it’s just more of a respect thing.”
Raptors Notes: Webster, Pritchard, Roster Moves, Rotation
The Raptors announced on Monday that they’ve decided not to fill the president role formerly held by Masai Ujiri, with Bobby Webster hanging onto his title of general manager as he takes over as the team’s permanent head of basketball operations. That’s fine with Webster, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca relays.
“On the title, what’s the best way to put it? The title, to me, probably isn’t as important as the responsibilities,” Webster said. “I’m really thankful for this opportunity. I’ll make the most of it and that (not getting the president title) is not something that concerns me.”
While Webster seems unfazed by not being named the Raptors’ president, he’s still expected to have a chance to earn a promotion to that position based on how he handles his new responsibilities, Grange adds.
“This is his chance,” a source close to the hiring process told Sportsnet. “Show (us) he’s the president. It’s a process. It’s all about the rebuild, it’s all about the strategy going forward. Can Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes become an incredible duo? How do you manage the tax situation we’re currently in?
“At the end of the day, it will be about Bobby making the right decisions moving forward. He’s (40 years old) and he’s got every quality that you want representing your organization. Now, it comes down to wins and losses, building the reputation of the brand and dealing with the salary cap.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Grange hears from sources that Toronto formally interviewed Pacers president Kevin Pritchard, former Kings general manager Monte McNair, and former Raptors coach Dwane Casey for its president role, while Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports that Pacers GM Chad Buchanan and Bulls GM Marc Eversley also interviewed for the job. Pritchard was believed to be the candidate that intrigued the Raptors the most, but “prying him away from the Pacers proved difficult,” Grange writes.
- While Webster believes the roster the Raptors have put together is ready to “make the next step” in 2025/26, there’s skepticism around the NBA about some of the moves the team has made in recent years. According to Grange, one Eastern Conference executive questioned the team’s investments in Immanuel Quickley (five years, $162.5MM), Ingram (three years, $120MM), and Jakob Poeltl (three years, $84MM): “I know sometimes you have to pay a premium for players in Canada, but that much?” Another rival executive, per Grange, suggested there’s an excess of wings on the roster and a lack of depth at point guard and center. “They have a lot of nice pieces,” that executive said. “It’s just not clear how they all fit.”
- Some of the executives who interviewed for the Raptors’ president job were among those questioning the club’s recent personnel decisions, according to Lewenberg, who says one of those external candidates referred to the Ingram trade as a “desperate Hail Mary.”
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic previews what the Raptors’ rotation might look like this fall, projecting Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jamal Shead, and Collin Murray-Boyles to be the top options off the bench behind a starting lineup of Barnes, Ingram, Quickley, Poeltl, and RJ Barrett.
Raptors Notes: Ingram, Walter, Mamukelashvili, More
Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has been cleared for contact, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports reports (via Twitter). This marks a major step in Ingram’s rehab process as he continues to work his way back from an ankle injury that prevented him from playing for Toronto after the team traded for him at the 2024 trade deadline.
Lewenberg writes that Ingram has been participating in individual workouts with the Raptors during the offseason and will start scrimmaging in the next few days. Head coach Darko Rajakovic seems optimistic about the versatile wing’s return.
“He’s pain-free, he’s moving well, he got stronger. He’s in a really, really great spot,” Rajakovic said.
The Raptors traded a pair of rotation players along with a first-round draft pick and a second-round pick to acquire Ingram, who will be counted on to help them take the next step toward sustained competitiveness.
We have more on the Raptors:
- Ja’Kobe Walter, the 19th pick in the 2024 draft, is coming into his sophomore season with 12 more pounds of muscle and a readiness to gain some momentum in Summer League, Lewenberg writes for TSN.ca. Walter was beset by injuries as a rookie that made it difficult to get his feet under him until near the end of the season, when things started to click. “That was my first time ever being injured and I got injured plenty of times last year,” Walter said. “It was definitely tough for me, but I learned that I love basketball.” While the Raptors’ starting five appears set, there’s a need for versatile wing contributors off the bench who can mesh with the starters, and a strong summer would go a long way toward cementing Walter’s place in that pecking order.
- Sandro Mamukelashvili spoke on Friday about why he chose to join the Raptors and how the international connection matters to him. “Coach Darko is a European coach, understands European style of play,” Mamukelashvili said (Twitter link via Lewenberg). “A lot of young guys who want to get better, get to the next level together. Nothing better than to be part of something like that.” The 6’11” big man also talked about the journeyman start to his career and his search for a more permanent home. “I really want to prove that I’m a rotational piece, that I can be in the NBA for 10 years and leave my mark somewhere,” he said (Twitter link). The four-year veteran spent 65 games with the Bucks before playing the next two-and-a-half seasons with the Spurs. In 2024/25, he averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 11.2 minutes per game, while shooting 37.3% from three.
- Rajakovic spoke on Thursday about the Raptors’ decision to fire former team president Masai Ujiri. “He brought a lot of success to the organization, but like a lot of things in life, those kinds of situations happen,” he said, per Lewenberg (via Twitter). “We’re going to miss him, but we’re very well equipped to continue moving forward.” Toronto has yet to replace Ujiri, but is expected to look at both internal and external candidates to find a new president.
- Summer League wins might not count in the regular season standings, but that won’t stop the Raptors’ Summer League squad from gunning for the championship in Las Vegas, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. With a large portion of the roster made up of players hoping to be members of the regular season rotation, including Walter, Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo, and recent No. 9 overall pick Collin Murray-Boyles, the team recognizes its chance to develop chemistry and prove itself in the eyes of the team’s higher-ups. “We want to be the team that everybody thinks we should. I think, going into the summer league, we’re all excited to play. We’re all hungry,” Shead said after hosting a four-day training camp at his former high school in Austin, Texas.
Raptors Notes: Rookies, Rebuild, Offseason
Raptors rookies Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle may not have made anyone’s Rookie of the Year ballots this season, but the young charges have impressed Toronto decision-makers enough that they may have expedited the club’s rebuild, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
Despite a lackluster 30-win season, Grange notes that the youngsters’ upside gives fans and pundits plenty of reason for optimism next year. And Toronto’s young core appears committed to improving over the summer.
“It’s not about what I want to work on,” Shead said. “I think for this team to be good, (the coaching staff is) going to give me the things that (they) would want to see out of me next year, especially to help us win… I think that’s the biggest thing for me. It’s not about what I will work on. It’s about what helps this team.”
There’s more out of Toronto:
- The Raptors have an intriguing offseason ahead of them, writes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link). Gozlan indicates that the team will face three major summer decisions: whether or not to extend Ochai Agbaji, what RJ Barrett‘s future holds, and what to do at the center position. The Raptors will possess a lottery pick in this year’s draft and have a 7.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick.
- In another comprehensive preview of the Raptors’ 2025 offseason, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes that that the club’s midseason acquisition of Brandon Ingram could pay off next year and opines that a healthier run in 2025/26 could pave the way for at least a playoff berth. That wouldn’t take much in the East, Smith notes, adding that – with plenty of intriguing young players – Toronto could get involved in the bidding for one of the several All-Stars who may become available by trade. Possible star trade candidates this summer include forwards Kevin Durant, Zion Williamson, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Sixers, Horford, Raptors
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse believes the team is on the cusp of figuring out its new treatment plan for star center Joel Embiid, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelpahi Inquirer. At the end of February, Embiid was shut down for the rest of the season with left knee swelling.
“…I think they are getting closer to that,” Nurse said on Saturday. “I think there’s another [evaluation] at some point today, as well. I know they met a lot and talked a lot and [saw] a lot of people… So we are working at it, but we just don’t have a definitive answer quite yet.”
Pompey notes that Philadelphia and Embiid have pondered the possibility of a follow-up surgery on the knee. He last went under the knife in February 2024 for a left meniscus surgery, but the former MVP is still dealing with pain and swelling in that knee.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers made a flurry of big signings during the 2024 offseason in anticipation of a deep playoff run. Forward Paul George agreed to a four-season, $211.6MM deal to join Philadelphia in free agency, while Embiid was inked to a three-year, $192.9MM contract extension, which won’t begin until 2026/27. Instead of being an MVP contender this year, however, the team has seen Embiid limited to 19 games, while many of its new additions have regressed mightily from their 2023/24 runs. In a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pompey details how Philadelphia’s summer splurge could adversely impact its roster-building in the years to come.
- Celtics center Al Horford, one of the league’s oldest active players at age 38, received major praise from his colleagues following a 111-101 victory over the Lakers on Saturday, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Playing 37 minutes with Kristaps Porzingis unavailable, Horford scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four dimes. “Al is one of a kind,” All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum said. “…I’m the biggest Al Horford fan there is. I love that guy.” Head coach Joe Mazzulla, meanwhile, called the 6’9″ vet “a future Hall of Famer.” With his longevity, scoring output, team success (he’s won one NBA championship and two NCAA titles), and five All-Star appearances, Horford does have a case. “Al is just old reliable,” All-Star Celtics wing Jaylen Brown said. “He’s just the ultimate connector for us on both ends.” Across 50 games in his 18th pro season, Horford is averaging 8.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.6 steals per night, with a .418/.358/.893 shooting line.
- With the postseason likely out of reach for this year’s Raptors, the team is prioritizing player development, notes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. To wit, Toronto is getting encouraging minutes from rookies Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, and Jamison Battle, plus solid performances from two-way players Jared Rhoden and A.J. Lawson. The club believes intense pregame workout sessions among its younger players have played a part in their growth. “We push ourselves in those workouts and we get out there in games and try to replicate that,” Shead said.
Cavs’ Thompson Responds After Raptors Criticize ‘Disrespectful’ Late-Game Dunk
An otherwise straightforward Cavaliers blowout of the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday in the teams’ final game before the All-Star break got a little heated in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
With the Cavaliers up by 21 points and holding the ball with the shot clock off, veteran center Tristan Thompson drove to the basket and threw down a two-handed dunk with just 4.1 seconds left in the game to extend the lead to 23 (Twitter video link). As the Raptors inbounded the ball and ran out the clock, the home fans booed Thompson, who was confronted after the final buzzer by Toronto forward Scottie Barnes and guard Jamal Shead.
Following some brief shoving, players and coaches from both teams converged to separate Thompson and the Raptors as the two sides exchanged words. Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic criticized the Cavs big man after the game for what he viewed as an unnecessary exclamation point on Cleveland’s victory.
“I think what Tristan did there was no class and disrespectful,” Rajakovic said (Twitter video link via The Toronto Star). “I’m not going to stand for that, for sure. I’m really glad that our guys, our players – Jamal, Scottie, and everybody else – that they stood up for themselves. I love when my team stands up for themselves. That was no class act.”
While Barnes didn’t speak to the media after the game, Shead agreed with his coach, telling reporters that the play was “a little bit disrespectful to the game of basketball, not just us,” per ESPN.
Raptors forward RJ Barrett noted that it’s “kind of an unwritten rule” not to try to run up the score in that situation, and even Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t exactly come rushing to the defense of his player.
“I’m not sure what he was thinking,” Atkinson said, according to ESPN. “Sometimes, though, you’re playing the game, and you just have a reaction. I know with Tristan, there’s no bad intention there. I think just sometimes you’re playing, and the goal of the game is to score. Unfortunate.”
For his part, Thompson – a Toronto native who has played almost exclusively in garbage time for the 44-10 Cavs this season – took to Twitter on Thursday to respond to Rajakovic’s comments and explain his actions.
“You wanna full court press with under a minute left in the game when you get cracked by 30 this will happen to you,” Thompson wrote. “Lose for draft lottery and be happy buddy boy. Hopefully you and most of your guys see the light at the end of (GM) Bobby (Webster) and (president) Masai (Ujiri‘s) long term plan. Bless up stay warm in MY CITY.”
While it’s possible the brief post-game confrontation will result in a fine or two, it didn’t rise to the level to warrant a suspension for any of the players involved.
Raptors Notes: Ingram, Temple, Tucker, Barnes, Battle
The Raptors‘ trade-deadline acquisition of Brandon Ingram raised some eyebrows due to the team’s record (now 16-37) and the perception of Ingram as a win-now player. However, appearing on First Up on TSN1050, general manager Bobby Webster insisted that Toronto is “not putting the cart before the horse” and referred to Thursday as “a great day for the rebuild.”
“We got younger, we opened up playing time, we were able to use a lot of the flexibility under the tax to take on contracts, draft picks, pick up some cash along the way,” Webster said of the Raptors’ deadline moves, which included trading Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk to New Orleans as part of the package for Ingram and sending out Davion Mitchell in a separate deal.
“We opened up a lot of playing time for our young players. People have seen with our rookies, Ja’Kobe [Walter], Jamal [Shead], [Jonathan] Mogbo, and Jamison Battle and [Ulrich] Chomche, then second- and third-year guys like Gradey [Dick] and Ochai [Agbaji] — I think the opportunity that moving some of these old guys will afford the young players, we’ll see.”
Webster pointed out that Ingram isn’t much older than the rest of the Raptors’ core players and suggested that there’s a belief within the organization that there could be an opportunity to take a real step forward as early as next season, though the team won’t rush the process.
“Interesting to see as we add a first-round pick, add a second-round pick, hopefully able to retain Ingram, see what that team looks like, but we’ll temper expectations as this team grows,” Webster said. “Scottie Barnes is 23, Immanuel Quickley is 25, RJ Barrett is 24, Brandon is still just 27, so I think even from that perspective it’s a young core. We’ll continue the rebuild, I think this is a progress. No change in progress or timeline.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Ingram will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, but the Raptors now hold his Bird rights and could even extend him before he reaches free agency. Webster is optimistic about getting a deal done sooner or later. “We’re having [contract] discussions now. We wouldn’t do the deal unless we felt there was a comfort level with what he was looking for, what we were able to offer, an interest level in coming to Toronto,” Webster said. “Hopefully we can get something done. (Like) when we traded for Jakob Poeltl, it enables us to get the player in the system and for them to get a feel for us, we get a feel for them. The goal is to have a long-term extension with him.”
- Veteran guard Garrett Temple, who previously spent two seasons alongside Ingram in New Orleans from 2021-23, said the Raptors’ front office sought his input before pulling the trigger on the trade, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Temple anticipates a “seamless” fit for his former teammate. “The fact that we were able to get him without having to give up any of our, you know, core pieces was very impressive, and it’s great,” Temple said. “He’s a really great guy. And you can’t say that about a lot of guys in the league, especially All-Star-level players. But BI is definitely that guy. He cares about playing basketball. He loves playing the game of basketball. In today’s league, that’s not easy to say about a lot of people that have been paid.”
- Veteran forward P.J. Tucker won’t be coming to Toronto after being acquired from Utah in the five-team Jimmy Butler trade that sent Mitchell to Miami, Webster confirmed (according to Koreen). Tucker remains on the roster for now, but it sounds like he’ll be either bought out or waived outright, which would create a second open spot on the Raptors’ standard 15-man roster.
- Speaking to William Guillory of The Athletic about Ingram’s fit in Toronto, Koreen expressed concern about how the former Pelicans will mesh with franchise player Barnes. However, Barnes said over the weekend that he’s excited to build a “special connection” with his new teammate, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca relays.
- In a separate story for The Athletic, Koreen takes a closer look at how Battle went from an undrafted rookie on an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal to a spot on Toronto’s standard roster over the past seven months.