Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nik Stauskas To Sign With Hometown Raptors 905

January 7th, 2021 at 4:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Longtime NBA shooting guard Nik Stauskas will sign a G League contract for the 2020/21 season and become the designated veteran player for the NBAGL affiliate of his hometown Raptors, Raptors 905, per Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).

Drafted by the Kings with the No. 8 pick out Michigan in 2014, the 6’6″ Stauskas also suited up for the Sixers, Nets, Trail Blazers and Cavaliers in a five-year NBA tenure. The 27-year-old holds career averages of 6.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.5 APG across 335 games. He has shot 35.3% on 3.3 three-point attempts per game.

Stauskas spent the 2019/20 season with the Spanish EuroLeague club Kirolbet Baskonia. He converted 42.2% of his three-point attempts in 22 games for Baskonia. Stauskas was on the Bucks’ training camp roster this December.

As we previously relayed, a recent rule tweak will enable each G League team to designate an “NBA Vet Selection” with five or more years of NBA experience. Such a player can be inked directly, meaning a club will not need to deal with the G League’s waiver wire.

Ibaka Frustrated By Raptors' Offer In Free Agency

January 6th, 2021 at 10:13pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Raptors president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster apparently frustrated free agent center/power forward Serge Ibaka when the club offered him a number below what he was hoping for in an attempt to leave some cap space to re-sign starting center Marc Gasol, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Toronto bumped its one-year offer from $12MM to $14MM, but Ibaka apparently also did not want to continue being a backup to Gasol. Both players wound up departing for cheaper deals with Los Angeles title contenders, and the 1-5 (as of this writing) Raptors appear to be missing the two-way skill set of their championship frontcourt tandem.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors’ Start, Johnson, Thibodeau, Nets

January 5th, 2021 at 6:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors are struggling to cope with a slow start, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Fred VanVleet, who opted to re-sign with the club, admits that the 1-5 start has been tough to take.

“This is probably uncharted territory for most of us,” VanVleet said. “Just speaking for myself, I’ve never been a part of something like this. … There’s a boatload of problems and we’ve got to find ways to solve them.”

Pascal Siakam and free agent signee Aron Baynes have performed poorly in the early going.

“I think [Siakam] is gonna work himself back into it a little bit more, and I think we don’t worry about it,” Kyle Lowry said. “We can’t worry about him too much. We’ve got to figure it out and all of us come together.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Stanley Johnson has displaced Matt Thomas in the Raptors’ rotation, Bontemps tweets. Coach Nick Nurse wants more size on the wing and has been disappointed in the play of both Thomas and Terence Davis. Johnson, noted for his defense, played 11 scoreless minutes but contributed two assists and three steals in 11 minutes against Boston on Monday. Davis held his rotation spot, scoring 13 points in 17 minutes. Johnson exercised a $3.8MM player option prior to the season and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Julius Randle has been the Knicks’ top player in their 4-3 start, and he gives plenty of credit to new coach Tom Thibodeau, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Randle said Thibodeau’s attention to detail has created a greater focus. “Thibs every day is on us,” he said. “He’s a great leader for us and given us a game plan we believe in every day and we’re coming into every game focused and locked into the game plan of what we need to do.”
The Nets are below .500 and won’t have Kevin Durant for as many as four games. But coach Steve Nash sees a silver lining, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “Plenty to clean up,” Nash said. “It’s early. We can’t lose our minds over it, and we can’t get overly frustrated. … And you know what? It’s good for us. It’s good to get a little tension. We’ve got to get comfortable being uncomfortable, so here we are.”

Boucher Seeing Time At Power Forward

January 4th, 2021 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors are looking at Chris Boucher as the primary backup at power forward to Pascal Siakam, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. Normally used at center despite being 6’9”, Boucher has recently played alongside centers Aron Baynes and Alex Len. “We really need some depth there, so it’s good to see that he’s been able to make a transition, kind of on a need basis,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Now it might be something we can count on.”

Pascal Siakam's Struggles Continue

January 3rd, 2021 at 8:16pm CST by JD Shaw

Raptors star Pascal Siakam continued his struggles in the team’s 120-116 loss to New Orleans on Saturday, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star writes. Siakam finished with just 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting, fouling out in less than 25 minutes. “He struggled, no doubt about it,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I thought he had a few decent plays and a few good drives in there, but he obviously struggled. Half-count off rhythm there at both ends a little bit, which is getting him in foul trouble and not letting him be able to finish some plays at the offensive end as well.”

Should Powell Move Into Lineup?

January 1st, 2021 at 9:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors have played better with Norman Powell in the starting lineup but it creates other issues, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. In 90 career starts, Powell has averaged 13.3 PPG while shooting 41% from 3-point range. Toronto could go small by taking Aron Baynes out of the lineup but that would affect the second unit and reduce Alex Len‘s playing time, Smith adds.

Atlantic Notes: Siakam, Raptors, Brown, Simmons

January 1st, 2021 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors don’t expect Pascal Siakam‘s one-game benching to become an ongoing issue, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN. Coach Nick Nurse elected to hold Siakam out of Thursday’s game after he went straight to the locker room rather than the bench after fouling out with 25.6 seconds remaining Tuesday night.

Nurse called it “a disciplinary thing for an internal matter,” and Siakam accepted the decision, a source tells Lewenberg. Because it wasn’t technically a suspension, Siakam won’t lose any money.

“I don’t think anybody’s happy to see him not play, but that was the decision that came down, so you roll with it,” Fred VanVleet said. “We’re all in this together and everybody makes mistakes. This is something that’s not gonna linger around us. P was great. He was great, he handled it very well, he was a great energy for us on the bench tonight even though he wasn’t playing, and we can’t wait to get him back out there with us.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Backup center Alex Len said there was “definitely tension in the locker room” after the Raptors lost their first three games, which indicates problems that go beyond one incident with Siakam, notes Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Toronto picked up its first win Thursday night after blowing double-digit leads in each of the three losses.
Jaylen Brown is ready to take on a larger role with the Celtics‘ offense after Gordon Hayward‘s departure in free agency, observes Tom Westerholm of Boston.com. “I’m definitely trying to accept the challenge, and I’m excited about this year in general for our group,” said Brown, who had a career-high 42 points Wednesday night. “I think we still have a great group. We have a lot to learn, I have a lot to learn but I think we are all embracing that challenge. Personally, for me, to be in a new and different role with more responsibility, I love and I want to handle that great responsibility to make sure I get other guys involved, all my teammates and try to be the best leader I can possibly be.”
Sixers guard Ben Simmons hit his third career three-pointer Thursday night and is becoming more comfortable with the shot, according to Ky Carlin of Yahoo Sports. “I’ve seen him make it in practice and I know he can knock it down,” said teammate Seth Curry. “Especially from the corner so it’s just a matter of him doing it in a game and stepping into it with confidence. It didn’t look like there was too much hesitation on the shot and I expected it to go in.”

Raptors To Sit Healthy Siakam

December 31st, 2020 at 6:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Raptors will sit healthy forward Pascal Siakam tonight against the Knicks in favor of Norman Powell to penalize the All-Star, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. After Siakam fouled out with less than a minute left in Toronto’s 100-93 loss to the Sixers Tuesday, he headed to the locker room early.

Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets that this penalty seems harsh and speculates that there may be hidden depths to the Raptors’ motivation for a healthy scratch.

Knicks off-guard Austin Rivers is set to make his debut for New York tonight against the Raptors after recovering from a groin injury, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. Berman notes that Rivers said he has yet to even partake in five-on-five practices with the Knicks yet. The Knicks may have pressed him into service due to the injuries of Dennis Smith Jr. and Immanuel Quickley.

Latest On James Harden

December 31st, 2020 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest look at the James Harden situation, Brian Windhorst of ESPN lists the Sixers, Nets, Heat, Celtics, and Raptors among the teams that have at least placed “courtesy calls” to the Rockets about the former MVP.

And while the Bucks reportedly don’t have interest in pursuing Harden, they did have an internal conversation about the possibility and ran it by Giannis Antetokounmpo before coming to that decision, Windhorst notes.

The Harden trade talk that dominated NBA headlines during the preseason has died down to some extent now that the season is underway and the 31-year-old is suiting up for the Rockets, but Windhorst believes it’s just a matter of time before a team convinces itself that Harden is the missing piece for a championship and pulls the trigger on a deal, like Toronto did for Kawhi Leonard in 2018.

Here’s more on Harden:

Although the Nuggets have been linked to Harden directly, they’re also interested in potentially getting involved in a multi-team trade involving the star guard even if they don’t end up with him, according to Windhorst.
Sam Amick of The Athletic wonders if the loss of scoring depth caused by Spencer Dinwiddie‘s ACL injury may motivate the Nets to push harder to acquire Harden. Of course, as we discussed earlier this week, Dinwiddie’s injury also diminishes the value of a player who likely would be part of any package the Nets offer.
Within that same Athletic article, Amick examines where things stand for the other teams linked to Harden, writing that the Sixers remain content to continue evaluating their current roster under Doc Rivers before making any major changes, while the Bucks don’t view Harden as a fit for their culture. Amick also evaluates the Heat, Nuggets, Trail Blazers, and Raptors, but doesn’t suggest that there’s traction on any front.

Raptors Notes: DeRozan, VanVleet, Siakam, TV Deal

December 27th, 2020 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors are among the teams rumored to be interested in acquiring James Harden, but Michael Grange of Sportsnet believes DeMar DeRozan might be a better fit. DeRozan, a franchise cornerstone in Toronto for nine seasons, scored 27 points Saturday night to help the Spurs defeat his former team.

“I think throughout the years I’ve known him, played with him, played against him in the last couple, I think he just continues (to grow),” said Raptors guard Kyle Lowry. “… He’s become more of a playmaker, and I think that’s his strength right now, is still being able to score but he’s able to play make for everybody else and make life easier for the other guys, like role players, and getting guys the ball where they need it and getting them open looks and giving them confidence to be good.”

All that sounds perfect for Toronto, according to Grange, who states that the team could use another multi-talented offensive threat. DeRozan is making $27.7MM in the final year of his contract, Grange adds, so the Raptors may target him in free agency if they don’t want to give up part of their young core in a trade.

There’s more on the Raptors:

Fred VanVleet has evolved into a leadership role, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. VanVleet is ready for that responsibility after inking a four-year, $85MM deal over the offseason that ensures his long-term future with the team. “I’ve been in this position for a long time now, since I was a little kid, and there were times I wasn’t so good at it and times I’ve been great,” he said. “I just try to manage that every day and just try to help guys reach their full potential.”
Everything was going well for the Raptors in March, but they haven’t been the same team since the league went on hiatus, Smith observes in a separate story. Pascal Siakam in particular looked like a different player during the restart in Orlando. “It was weird watching myself,” he said. “When I watched the game, one of the things I really pointed out was just that I didn’t recognize myself in terms of having fun. I’m always someone that has fun playing the game. I love this game, and I don’t ever want to play the game without any joy.”
The Raptors have reached a deal to have some of their games televised locally in their temporary home of Tampa, Florida, writes Eduardo A. Encina of The Tampa Bay Times. The Magic own territorial rights to the area.