Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Raptors Waive Armoni Brooks

July 30th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by JD Shaw

4:00pm: The move is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

2:39pm: The Raptors are waiving shooting guard Armoni Brooks, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Brooks was only guaranteed $50K of his $1.75MM salary for next season, but that partial guarantee would’ve increased to $250K if he wasn’t waived on or before August 1.

Murphy expects Brooks to join another NBA team for training camp this fall. Brooks averaged 6.2 points per game in 41 outings with the Rockets last season, then was waived in February. He signed two 10-day deals with Toronto after that, later signing a two-year deal with the organization.

Brooks established himself as a sharpshooter during his first NBA stint in 2020/21, but he only shot 30% from three-point range last season. At 24 years old, he could certainly attract interest as the offseason moves on.

Brooks went undrafted in 2019 after spending four years at the University of Houston. The Raptors now have 16 players on standard contracts, plus two-way players Ron Harper Jr. and Jeff Dowtin. The team also hasn’t yet signed second-round pick Christian Koloko.

Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Durant, Knicks, Raptors

July 28th, 2022 at 10:47pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Various members of the NBA world have been weighing in since word spread earlier this week that the Celtics and Nets have been in conversation about a potential trade centered around current Brooklyn All-Star forward Kevin Durant and current Boston star wing Jaylen Brown.

Brown’s All-Star running mate in Boston, Jayson Tatum, shared his two cents on the matter earlier this week, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.

“I played with [Durant] during the Olympics,” Tatum said on Tuesday, attending the premiere of the new Showtime documentary ‘Point Gods.’ Durant, as an executive producer, was also in attendance, but did not discuss his future with assembled media.

“Obviously, he’s a great player, but that’s not my decision,” Tatum continued. “We got two new pieces [in Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari]… I love our team. I just go out there and play with my teammates. I don’t put that [general manager] hat on to make decisions.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The aforementioned notion of the Nets and Celtics swapping Durant, Brown, and additional assets was explored by Jared Weiss, Jay King, and Alex Schiffer of The Athletic in a new roundtable.
The other big lingering line item that persists at this point in the 2022 NBA offseason is the fate of Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. The 6’1″ swingman has long been floated as a possible fit for the Knicks, a star-hungry big market club with the contracts, future draft equity, and intriguing young talent to potentially swing a deal that the Utah front office may value. The Athletic’s Fred Katz and Mike Vorkunov experiment with a fascinating exercise by opting to stage a mock draft of New York’s most valuable trade chips, starting with RJ Barrett and the Knicks’ 2029 first-round pick.
The Knicks are not the only game in town when it comes to possibly acquiring Mitchell from Utah. Raptors team president Masai Ujiri and his Jazz front office counterpart Danny Ainge may appear at first blush to be particularly abrasive trade partners, doomed to haggle over picks and protections, opines Eric Koreen of The Athletic. However, Koreen notes that, because of the depth of Toronto’s young talent, the teams could wind up being particularly good fits for each other in a Mitchell transaction, provided Ujiri and Ainge can agree on the granular details of such an exchange.

Raptors Sign Juancho Hernangomez To One-Year Deal

July 28th, 2022 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 28: The Raptors have officially signed Hernangomez, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 26: Free agent forward Juancho Hernangomez is finalizing a one-year agreement with the Raptors, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Hernangomez has been on the open market since being waived by the Jazz on June 30. Utah released him before his $7.3MM salary for the 2022/23 season became guaranteed. While terms of the veteran’s new deal with Toronto aren’t yet known, it’s a safe bet it’ll be worth less than that — I’d expect a minimum-salary contract.

Hernangomez, 26, has flashed the ability to contribute as a stretch four over the course of his six NBA seasons, but didn’t stay in one place for long during the 2021/22 league year. He was traded from Minnesota to Memphis last August, then to Boston in September, to San Antonio in January, and to Utah in February.

In total, Hernangomez averaged 3.3 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 40 games (11.1 MPG) for three teams last season, posting a shooting line of .415/.348/.559. He’s perhaps most recognizable to many NBA fans for starring as Bo Cruz in the Netflix film Hustle.

The Raptors currently have 18 players under contract, with second-rounder Christian Koloko and Hernangomez likely to fill out the team’s 20-man offseason roster.

It’s possible that Hernangomez – like D.J. Wilson, Dalano Banton, Armoni Brooks, and Justin Champagnie – will get a partially guaranteed contract and will have to earn for a spot on the 15-man regular season roster.

Northwest Notes: Beverley, Mitchell, Lillard, Thunder

July 27th, 2022 at 8:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

After working to create a culture change in Minnesota last season, Patrick Beverley was looking forward to helping the Timberwolves take the next step. Although he was caught off guard by the team’s decision to send him to the Jazz in the Rudy Gobert trade, Beverley told Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston he wouldn’t call the move a surprise (video link).

“Surprised, no not in this business,” Beverley said. “Understood it. Never personal, always business. We did some great things in Minnesota. We kind of revamped the environment there. Gave the fans something to be happy about.”

Beverley brought a veteran presence to a young Wolves team that reached the playoffs for just the second time in the past 18 seasons. He hopes to fill a similar role for Utah, but admits that things are unpredictable in the midst of Donovan Mitchell trade rumors.

“We’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks. It’s a lot going on right now,” Beverley said (video link). “We’ll see where the dust clears. Hopefully Donovan Mitchell stays and the team is competitive. If that’s the case we’re very excited.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Knicks are still in position to make the best offer for Mitchell, but Jazz CEO Danny Ainge has the advantage of being able to wait until someone meets his price, notes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Larsen examines the trade assets from the Hawks, Hornets, Heat, Kings, Raptors and Wizards – all rumored Mitchell suitors – to see what they could potentially offer.
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard considers himself fully recovered from abdominal surgery in January, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. Lillard played 29 games last season before deciding to have the operation, but he admits that the pain had been bothering him for nearly five years. “I feel 100 percent healthy,” Lillard said. “I got a break from playing and going out there knowing I didn’t feel good, and the burden of, ‘We have to win. I have to perform well.’ That’s a little bit stressful. So the last seven-and-a-half, almost eight months without having to think about none of those things, it kind of cleared my mind. Physically, I feel great.”
Longtime Sixers executive Vince Rozman will join the Thunder as vice president of identification and intelligence, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Latest On Kevin Durant

July 26th, 2022 at 5:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets are finding it difficult to deal Kevin Durant in part because suitors are unwilling to “gut their roster” to acquire the perennial All-Star, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter (video link).

Those bidders want to ensure they still “have enough left” after a Durant deal to win a championship, Wojnarowski adds. However, the Nets front office isn’t in any rush to get a deal done.

“Brooklyn does want to trade Kevin Durant,” Wojnarowski said. “They’re serious about it, but they want to do it on their terms.”

We have more regarding Durant trade chatter:

Echoing Wojnarowski’s report, executives told Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett that any team acquiring Durant has to be sure it can win the championship immediately. “KD’s going to be 34 at the start of next season, and he’s still a superstar,” one executive told Bulpett. “But depending on what you give up, if you’re a contender now, you’d have to be pretty damn sure you were going to win more in the window with KD than with the people you trade away.”
Why did reports about the Celtics’ interest in Durant surface this week? According to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, the Nets are looking for stronger offers in order to avoid the possibility of Durant being a no-show for training camp.
In a much different take, unnamed executives suggested to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer that the Nets’ demands are so significant because they have no real desire to move Durant.
There has been no traction in talks between the Nets and Raptors in a potential Durant deal, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. That’s due to Toronto’s continued refusal to trade forward Scottie Barnes.

Latest On Donovan Mitchell

July 25th, 2022 at 7:38am CST by Luke Adams

While the Knicks continue to be viewed as the frontrunners to trade for Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that talks between the two teams have moved slowly so far. New York and Utah remain far from an agreement, Charania adds.

As Charania explains, with three guaranteed years remaining on Mitchell’s contract and approximately two months until training camps begin, Utah has plenty of time to gauge the trade market and evaluate the best offers for the All-Star guard, so the club isn’t operating with a sense of urgency at this point.

Since word broke that the Jazz are open to inquiries on Mitchell, the Knicks have frequently been mentioned as his primary suitor, but they’re far from the only team in the mix, according to Charania.

Sources tell The Athletic that the Heat, Wizards, Raptors, Hornets, Hawks, and Kings have all registered some level of interest in the 25-year-old.

Mitchell hasn’t requested a trade and hasn’t pushed to leave Utah, says Charania. However, if the Jazz were to shift into full-fledged rebuilding mode, he would prefer to end up with a contender, per Charania.

Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale trades earlier this offseason signaled that a rebuild could be on the horizon for the team. Still, it remains possible that the Jazz could use some of the draft assets acquired in those deals to trade for win-now help with the intent of retooling around Mitchell. The roster still features veterans like Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, Patrick Beverley, and Malik Beasley, so it’s not as if Utah has engaged in a full tear-down yet.

Celtics Emerge As Serious Kevin Durant Suitor

July 25th, 2022 at 6:26am CST by Luke Adams

6:26am: The Celtics offered Brown, White, and a draft pick to the Nets in exchange for Durant, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that Brooklyn turned down that offer and countered by asking for Brown, Marcus Smart, multiple draft picks, and possibly one additional rotation player.

The Celtics aren’t currently inclined to include Smart along with multiple other picks or players, but they’re considering their next move in the negotiations, according to Charania, who suggests that Boston has emerged as a “serious” potential landing spot for Durant. No deal is imminent, but the C’s view Durant as a player who could be the missing piece as they pursue a title, Charania writes.

Charania also reports that the Suns “appear to be all but eliminated” from the Durant sweepstakes with Deandre Ayton back under contract and ineligible to be traded.

5:58am: The Celtics are among the teams engaged in discussions with the Nets about a possible Kevin Durant trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who hears that Boston has been in “regular contact” with Brooklyn.

It doesn’t appear the two sides have made any significant progress toward a deal, however, with Wojnarowski reporting that Boston isn’t any closer to acquiring Durant than a handful of his other suitors are. However, Woj says that the Celtics’ ability to include Jaylen Brown as a centerpiece in an offer makes the club “formidable in its pursuit.”

The Celtics view All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum as off-limits in any hypothetical Durant deal, per Wojnarowski. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, that leaves just seven contracts that Boston could trade without restrictions, led by Brown.

Wojnarowski suggests that a Celtics offer could theoretically include Brown and up to three first-round picks (2025, 2027, and 2029), as well as pick swaps in 2024 and 2026.

Because Brown is earning approximately $28.7MM in 2022/23 while Durant is making $44.1MM, the Celtics would have to include about $6.5MM in additional salary in order to meet the NBA’s salary-matching requirements.

Al Horford ($26.5MM), Marcus Smart ($17.2MM), Derrick White ($16.9MM), Robert Williams ($10.9MM), Grant Williams ($4.3MM), and Payton Pritchard ($2.2MM) are Boston’s other movable players, Marks notes. All are expected to be part of the team’s regular rotation in 2022/23.

While Durant hasn’t backed off his request to be traded out of Brooklyn, there’s a sense that the Nets also haven’t gained any real traction in any of their trade talks involving the former MVP, says Wojnarowski. The club continues to seek a return that includes “impactful” players, along with multiple unprotected first-round picks and swaps, sources tell ESPN.

The Raptors, Heat, and Suns are among the other teams believed to have interest in Durant, Wojnarowski writes. The 33-year-old has reportedly identified Miami and Phoenix of two of his preferred landing spots.

It’s unclear how Durant would feel about landing in Boston, but since he has four years remaining on his contract, a team trading for him wouldn’t have to worry about him leaving as a free agent in a year or two.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Celtics, Moser, Nets, Thomas

July 21st, 2022 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

After Raptors 905 head coach Patrick Mutombo was hired away by Phoenix, Eric Khoury will take the reins coaching Toronto’s G League team in 2022/23. As Doug Smith of The Toronto Star writes, Khoury’s background in academia and analytics is a little out of the ordinary for an NBA coach, but the 33-year-old has been in the Raptors’ organization for nearly a decade and has proven his basketball bona fides.

“I think that shows that you can come from any sort of background, any diverse background and if you show interest in the game, passion for the game, some hard work … you don’t necessarily need to come from the most traditional, ‘Well, I’ve coached at this level, now at this level’ and slowly bring your way up the ranks,” Khoury said.

“If you show that you have a passion for the game and you bring a cool perspective or a different perspective and you’re willing to work hard at it that it’s possible to make it at the next level.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Mike Moser, who spent the 2021/22 season as an assistant for the Oregon women’s basketball team, has accepted a job on the Celtics‘ coaching staff, writes Jarrid Denney of On3.com. Oregon women’s basketball head coach Kelly Graves announced the news on Twitter.
Jared Weiss of The Athletic takes a look at which Celtics Summer League players made the strongest cases for a shot at a regular season roster spot, evaluating Brodric Thomas, Matt Ryan, and Justin Jackson, among others.
Brian Lewis of The New York Post shares his takeaways from the Nets‘ Summer League performance, including his impressions on Cam Thomas, David Duke, and Alondes Williams. While Thomas had another big Summer League showing as a scorer, he’ll have to continue improving as a play-maker and defender to earn an increased role in Brooklyn’s regular season rotation, Lewis says.
In addition to carrying a pair of Australians (Ben Simmons and Patty Mills) on their roster, the Nets now have one on their coaching staff. Alex Schiffer of The Athletic profiles Adam Caporn, the newly-promoted Nets assistant who coached Brooklyn’s Summer League team after spending last season in the G League coaching the Long Island Nets.

Thunder, Rockets Among Teams Facing Roster Crunch

July 20th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re approximately three months away from the deadline for NBA teams to finalize their rosters for the 2022/23 regular season, so there’s no urgency for those clubs to get their 15-man squads in order anytime soon.

Still, there are already a small handful of teams that are carrying more than 15 players on guaranteed contracts for ’22/23. Sooner or later, those teams will have to trade or release one or more of those players in order to get down to the regular season limit.

[RELATED: 2022/23 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s an early look at the teams that will have some decisions to make:

Teams with more than 15 guaranteed contracts:

Oklahoma City Thunder

17 guaranteed contracts
1 partially guaranteed contract

The Thunder will technically dip to 16 players on fully guaranteed contracts once JaMychal Green‘s reported buyout is completed, but that number will climb back to 17 once Mike Muscala officially re-signs with the team.

There are a number of directions Oklahoma City could go with its final roster spots, but at least three players (besides Green) will have to be traded or released. The best candidates appear to be Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon, Darius Bazley, and Vit Krejci (who has the lone partially guaranteed contract).

None of those five players is owed guaranteed money beyond this season — Favors, Jerome, and Bazley are on expiring contracts, while Maledon and Krejci have non-guaranteed salaries beyond 2022/23.

By reaching a buyout agreement with Green, the Thunder signaled they’re not necessarily prioritizing keeping bigger expiring deals around for potential trades later in the offseason or during the season, so Favors ($10.2MM), Bazley ($4.3MM), and Jerome ($4.2MM) certainly aren’t locks to make it to opening night.

Houston Rockets

18 guaranteed contracts

The Rockets’ roster surplus is largely a result of the four-for-one trade they made with Dallas for Christian Wood. Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, and Boban Marjanovic came to Houston in that deal, but reports have suggested that at least two or three of those players probably won’t be on the team’s opening night roster.

Marjanovic is said to be the most likely of the four to remain in Houston. Trading or waiving the other three would get the Rockets down to the 15-man regular season limit.

The club could also explore other moves to pare down its roster count. Eric Gordon and Kenyon Martin Jr. are among the players who have frequently been mentioned as potential trade candidates.

Teams with more than 15 players on standard contracts:

Note: Exhibit 10 deals aren’t considered standard contracts for the purpose of this section.

Memphis Grizzlies

15 guaranteed contracts
1 partially guaranteed contract

Danny Green looks like the probable odd man out in Memphis. His $10MM salary is only partially guaranteed (for $6.96MM) and he’ll likely miss most or all of the 2022/23 season while he recovers from a torn ACL.

Still, I wouldn’t consider that a lock quite yet. Green could be a valuable piece in the postseason if he has recovered by then — and if his recovery does take longer than he anticipates, his $10MM expiring contract could still be a useful asset at the 2023 deadline. Perhaps the Grizzlies will find a small deal involving a player like Santi Aldama, Killian Tillie, or Xavier Tillman before the season begins in order to make room on the 15-man squad for Green.

Toronto Raptors

12 guaranteed contracts
4 partially guaranteed contracts
1 unsigned second-round pick

While second-round picks are often signed to two-way contracts or stashed overseas, that rarely happens for a player selected as high as Christian Koloko was (No. 33). Those players usually receive at least a couple guaranteed seasons, and I’d expect the Raptors to take that route with Koloko.

If they do, that would leave four players on partially guaranteed contracts – Justin Champagnie, Dalano Banton, Armoni Brooks, and D.J. Wilson – vying for the final two roster spots. If the Raptors want to keep more than one of those players, or if they’d like to promote two-way RFA David Johnson to the 15-man roster, Svi Mykhailiuk could be a release candidate, despite having a guaranteed minimum salary.

Philadelphia 76ers

12 guaranteed contracts (once James Harden re-signs)
2 partially guaranteed contracts
2 non-guaranteed contracts

The Sixers don’t have a major crunch, but after Harden re-signs, there will only be three roster spots available for four players without full guarantees.

One of those players is Trevelin Queen, who has a $330K partial guarantee and was just signed this offseason. Those factors will likely give him a leg up on a 15-man roster spot. Charles Bassey also has a small partial guarantee (about $75K), while Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed are on non-guaranteed contracts.

In order to keep all four players, the Sixers would have to make a trade or a cut to reduce their roster count. Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, and Shake Milton are among the players who have been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason.

Cleveland Cavaliers

13 guaranteed contracts
2 non-guaranteed contracts
1 RFA

At this point in the offseason, restricted free agent guard Collin Sexton looks like a solid bet to end up back in Cleveland. If he returns to the Cavaliers, they’ll have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Dean Wade and Lamar Stevens on non-guaranteed deals.

If the Cavs want to keep both Wade and Stevens, Dylan Windler could be the odd man out. He’s on an expiring contract and has struggled to find a place in the rotation while battling injuries in his first three NBA seasons.

Detroit Pistons

15 guaranteed contracts
1 signing to come

The Pistons have yet to formally sign Kevin Knox — they’re likely waiting to determine if and how they’ll use their cap room, since Knox’s reported two-year, $6MM deal could fit into their room exception if it has to.

Knox would be Detroit’s 16th player on a guaranteed contract, but the fix looks pretty simple. Kemba Walker‘s reported buyout agreement with the Pistons isn’t yet official. Once Walker is bought out and Knox signs, the team will be back at 15 guaranteed contracts.

Orlando Magic

15 guaranteed contracts
1 non-guaranteed contract

Barring a surprise, Devin Cannady – the only player without a guaranteed contract – will likely be the casualty of Orlando’s roster crunch.

Raptors Sign Jeff Dowtin To Two-Way Deal

July 19th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

4:00pm: The Raptors have officially signed Dowtin to a two-way contract, the team confirmed in a press release.

12:46pm: Free agent guard Jeff Dowtin will sign a two-way contract with the Raptors, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Dowtin is coming off a strong Summer League performance with Toronto, averaging 16.0 PPG while shooting 57.1% from the field in four games in Las Vegas.

The 25-year-old signed with the Magic last September, then was claimed off waivers by the Warriors before the start of the season. He played four games for Golden State before being waived again, then signed 10-day contracts with Milwaukee and Orlando.

Ron Harper Jr. holds the Raptors’ other two-way contract, so both slots will be filled once Dowtin’s signing becomes official.