Toronto Raptors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Onuaku, Davies, Grantham, Christon

June 12th, 2022 at 4:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Former NBA big man Chinanu Onuaku, the reigning Israeli Winner League MVP with Bnei Herzliya, is set to work out for the Raptors, Mavericks and Celtics this month, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.

The Rockets selected the 6’10” Onuaku out of Louisville with the No. 37 pick in 2016. He appeared in just six games across two seasons with Houston, averaging 3.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 0.7 APG across 12.3 MPG.

Several EuroLeague teams, including Maccabi Tel Aviv, are interested in Onuaku following his strong performance in the Israeli League playoffs. He averaged 15.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals during the Israeli Winner League’s regular season.

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Brandon Davies is set to leave FC Barcelona and sign with Italian club Olimpia Milano, per Dario Skerletic of Sportando. The 30-year-old former NBA power forward went undrafted out of BYU in 2013, before latching on with the Sixers in the 2013/14 NBA season. He played 51 games for Philadelphia that year, then split his time between the Sixers and Nets in ’14/15. He holds career NBA averages of 3.7 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 78 contests.
After spending the 2021/22 season with Chalons-Reims, former NBA forward Donte Grantham is signing with French team SLUC Nancy, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Grantham played in just three games for Oklahoma City in 2018/19.
Former Thunder guard Semaj Christon will sign with Italian club Bertram Derthona Tortona, writes Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. Christon appeared in 64 games as OKC’s backup point guard in 2016/17.

Southwest Notes: Wood, Spurs, Anunoby, Pelicans

June 10th, 2022 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Rival executives who have spoken to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype anticipate the Rockets will gauge the trade market for Christian Wood this offseason as the big man enters the final year of his three-year contract. However, it doesn’t sound as if Wood is preparing for his exit.

According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, Wood expressed this week that he believes the Rockets are capable of taking a real step forward in 2022/23 after finishing with the NBA’s worst record in each of the last two seasons. He also said he has spoken to the team about a possible contract extension.

“I just want to win, try to get to the playoffs,” Wood said when asked if he wants to remain in Houston. “I haven’t been to the playoffs yet in my career. That’s what I’m focused on.”

Wood could sign an extension worth up to about $77MM over four years this summer. However, doing so would make him ineligible to be traded for six months. If he preferred to maintain his trade eligibility while signing an extension, he’d be limited to a deal worth up to $31.3MM over two years.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Spurs are one of the teams mentioned consistently as a potential trade partner for the Raptors if Toronto moves OG Anunoby, writes Matt Moore of Action Network. The Raptors were frequently cited as possible suitors for San Antonio center Jakob Poeltl prior to the 2022 deadline, but seem unlikely to part with Anunoby in a deal for Poeltl.
The Pelicans have received some calls about the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft and are open to listening to offers for it, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. New Orleans unexpectedly received that Lakers pick due to L.A.’s dismal season — it would have gone to Memphis if it had landed outside of the top 10.
William Guillory of The Athletic considers what a Zion Williamson contract extension might look like and explores the role the former No. 1 overall pick could play with the Pelicans next season, while Christian Clark of NOLA.com takes a look at five Pelicans offseason storylines to monitor, starting with a possible extension for Williamson.

Fischer’s Latest: Brunson, LaVine, Beal, Anunoby, Ayton, Collins

June 10th, 2022 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, Bulls wing Zach LaVine, and Wizards guard Bradley Beal are all considered likely to remain with their respective teams in free agency this offseason, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said during an appearance on the Dunc’d On podcast this week.

Brunson has been linked to teams like the Knicks, Pistons, and Pacers over the last few months, but the Mavs have consistently stated both publicly and privately that they want to hang onto the point guard. According to Fischer, people around the league are writing in Brunson’s return to Dallas “in Sharpie” at this point. “Literally, everyone in the league is saying that,” Fischer said.

Fischer has been among the reporters to suggest that LaVine’s return to Chicago is no longer viewed as a sure thing, but he doesn’t believe the All-Star swingman will actually leave the Bulls.

“Even people around him have been saying all along, ‘Yeah, the door’s open, but we don’t think he’s going to leave,'” Fischer said.

Asked if there’s any smoke around the idea of Beal exiting Washington, Fischer said he hasn’t heard anything he’s “giving much weight to.” As Fischer observes, the Wizards guard could accept a lucrative contract offer to remain in D.C. this offseason, knowing that he could request a trade down the road if he eventually decides he wants out.

“The Zach LaVine thing, like I said, I don’t expect him to leave, but people there are at least saying, ‘Yeah, the door’s open for him to go,'” Fischer said. “No one’s even coming close to that type of verbiage when it comes to Brad.”

Here are a few more of the highlights from Fischer’s Dunc’d On appearance:

Following up on his reporting on OG Anunoby, Fischer reiterated that he believes the Raptors wing wants a greater role on offense. “I do definitely think there’s definitive truth that he wants more opportunity,” Fischer said. “That’s the one thing that’s been repeated across the board from everyone I’ve talked to — from people within his representation, to coaches who’ve worked with him in the past, to general people in the league who would know, let’s say. And that’s the one word that everyone consistently agrees on, that he wants more opportunity, and it doesn’t seem like a clear path to having that in Toronto.”
The Raptors aren’t going to “sell off” Anunoby, but appear open to the idea of including him in a trade for an impact player, according to Fischer, who once again identifies the Trail Blazers and Jazz as teams with interest. “Portland is definitely targeting OG. He’s definitely said to be someone that (Damian) Lillard wants to pair with,” Fischer said. “Utah has had conversations – I think they’ve even had conversations with Toronto, (though) I don’t want to say there’s been offers made. Right now most of these teams are in super-early conversations and the only team I hear about that’s ready to talk trade right now is (the Hawks).”
Fischer believes Suns center Deandre Ayton could be the biggest name to change teams in free agency this summer, perhaps in a sign-and-trade. “He wants the max, he doesn’t want to come down from that,” Fischer said of Ayton. “… Detroit gets mentioned a lot. Portland, it seems like he’s another guy that Dame has interest in playing with. Toronto gets mentioned. San Antonio’s been mentioned.”
Hawks big man John Collins is another player Fischer believes is drawing interest from the Trail Blazers. Fischer adds that the Spurs had serious interest in Collins a year or two ago, but admits he’s not sure whether that’s still the case. “There was someone I talked to today who had just spoken to Atlanta in recent days who said that John Collins is clearly the guy that they are most interested in moving,” Fischer said.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Raptors, Knicks, Nets

June 10th, 2022 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

As great as Jayson Tatum is, he hasn’t been dominant in these playoffs and isn’t considered as a top-three NBA player like the stars on most recent champions have been, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. If these Celtics win two more games, they would resemble champs like the 2014 Spurs or various Pistons squads (1989, 1990, 2004), according to Hollinger, who notes that those teams were extremely well-balanced but lacked a true mega-star in his prime.

Pointing to the recent success of teams like these Celtics and the 2021 Suns (who were two wins away from a championship), Hollinger wonders if we’re beginning to see a trend of teams whose postseason fortunes are determined “more by the strength of their weakest link and less by the greatness of their best player.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Holding only the No. 33 pick in this year’s draft, the Raptors are preparing for a wide number of scenarios on draft night, team executive Dan Tolzman told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re working really hard trying to narrow down the group of guys that we think we’re going to be looking at, and then trying to fine-tune who we like in that group,” Tolzman said, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “But then you also have to kind of prepare for, you know, five to 10 guys that might drop to you just in case, and then how do they compare against the guys that we were preparing for that we expect to be there?” Tolzman added that the team expects the player it selects to be on next season’s roster, meaning a draft-and-stash selection is unlikely.
Fred Katz and Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic spoke to a high-ranking scout and an Eastern Conference assistant general manager to get their thoughts on 11 players the Knicks may be considering with the No. 11 pick, including Ochai Agbaji (“I don’t think it’s a guarantee that he’s an elite shooter,” the assistant GM said), Dyson Daniels (“He’s probably not the full-time offensive engine”), and Tari Eason (“His game is as an energy big with a little bit of shooting”).
The Nets announced this week that they’ve hired Sam Zussman to be the CEO of BSE Global, the team’s parent company. Zussman is expected to become the Nets’ alternative governor, according to the team.

Draft Notes: Green Room, Houstan, Nembhard, O’Neal, Gillespie

June 9th, 2022 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There were no surprises in the 11 green room invitations forwarded to the draft’s top prospects. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony confirmed that the list includes Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Shaedon Sharpe, Dyson Daniels, Bennedict Mathurin, AJ Griffin, Jalen Duren and Johnny Davis. Approximately four more green room invites will be sent out next week, a source tells Givony.

We have more draft news:

Michigan’s Caleb Houstan and Gonzaga’s Andrew Nembhard, who both hail from Canada, will work out for the Raptors on Friday, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. They’re both considered late first-round or second-round prospects and Toronto has the No. 33 overall pick.
LSU forward Shareef O’Neal, son of Shaquille O’Neal, worked out for the Bucks on Thursday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. The younger O’Neal will visit the Lakers, Cavaliers, Hawks and Wizards in the very near future.
Villanova guard Collin Gillespie also worked out for the Bucks on Thursday, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets. He’ll soon visit the Suns, Nuggets, Jazz and Trail Blazers. Gillespie is ranked at No. 64 on ESPN’s Best Available list.

2022 NBA Offseason Preview: Toronto Raptors

June 8th, 2022 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

After winning their first title in franchise history three years ago, the Raptors lost Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green in 2019, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol in 2020, and Kyle Lowry in 2021. Somehow though, with the exception of an unusual 2020/21 season spent in Tampa, more than 1,000 miles from their home city, the Raptors just keep on winning, defying expectations in ’21/22 by becoming a top-five seed in the East.

The rapid emergence of eventual Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes (Toronto’s reward for that dismal ’20/21 season spent in Florida) played a large part in the Raps’ resurgence this past year. The front office was questioned for selecting Barnes at No. 4 in last year’s draft over Jalen Suggs, who was widely considered one of the top four players in the class. But Barnes’ first-year performance as a two-way weapon vindicated the controversial decision made by president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster.

The remaining holdovers from the 2019 title team – Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Chris Boucher – played significant roles in Toronto’s success too. VanVleet made an All-Star team, Siakam earned an All-NBA spot, and Anunoby established a new career high with 17.4 points per game.

The Raptors had a hard time slowing down Joel Embiid and the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs and ultimately fell in six games. But given that Toronto was only viewed as a borderline play-in team entering training camp, the year qualified as a major success even without a playoff series win.

The Raptors’ Offseason Plan:

With VanVleet, Siakam, Anunoby, Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., and emerging big man Precious Achiuwa all under contract for next season, it’s possible the Raptors won’t make any major changes to their roster. It seems safe to assume that a number of those players – particularly Anunoby, Barnes, and Achiuwa – have yet to reach their ceilings, so Toronto can bet on internal improvement and continue assessing the long-term fit of its core.

Of course, the fact that all those players are on reasonable contracts would make any of them valuable trade chips. And it’s possible the Raptors would have interest in moving one of their three starting forwards to acquire an impact center, though I think that possibility has perhaps been overstated.

Toronto had success in 2021/22 with a versatile group of rangy defenders who showed the ability to switch onto almost any offensive player and hold their own. Adding a more traditional center – such as Rudy Gobert – to that mix would change the way the Raptors play defense and negate one of the team’s strengths — and it would come at a significant trade cost.

The Raptors will also have to be wary of bringing in a center who doesn’t have the ability to stretch the floor. Siakam and Barnes will launch at least a couple three-pointers per game to keep defenses honest, but they’re hardly elite outside shooters. Using Anunoby – whose name has popped up in trade rumors – as the centerpiece of a trade for a non-shooting center would create some serious spacing issues.

Ujiri has shown in the past that he’s not hesitant to pull the trigger on the right trade opportunity, having completed major deals for players like Gasol, Ibaka, and – of course – Leonard. But the Raptors are ahead of schedule in their retooling process and won’t feel any desperation to shake up this roster for the sake of it. If they make a significant trade, it’ll be because it’s too good to pass up.

If the Raptors keep their core intact, the team’s offseason decisions will revolve around free agent signings and possible contract extensions.

Two members of the Raptors’ playoff rotation – Boucher and Thaddeus Young – will be unrestricted free agents this summer, and I’d expect the club to have interest in re-signing both players, assuming the price is right. Team salary isn’t yet approaching luxury tax territory, so as long as Boucher and Young aren’t getting offers that exceed the full mid-level exception (about $10MM), Toronto could comfortably retain both.

The question will be how many years the Raptors are willing to offer, since the roster could get more expensive in the near future when guys like VanVleet and Trent, among others, are up for new deals. I wouldn’t expect Toronto to offer more than two guaranteed years to Boucher, Young, or any outside free agent targets.

The Raptors will be under more pressure to use their full mid-level exception if they only re-sign one of Boucher and Young, but they should have the flexibility to use it even if both players return. It will be interesting to see which direction the team goes with that MLE.

Last year, most of it went to a center (Khem Birch), who had an up-and-down, injury-plagued 2021/22 season — would the Raptors attempt to address that position again with a mid-level free agent, or do they expect more from Birch going forward? Would they instead pursue a shooter, or a backup point guard?

Sharpshooter Malik Monk would be a fascinating target, though it’s unclear whether he could meet the sky-high expectations Nick Nurse has for his players on the defensive end. Veterans like Kyle Anderson and Delon Wright can handle the ball and would be nice fits defensively — they’ve also improved their three-point numbers in recent years. Toronto should have some options.

It’s worth noting that while the Raptors don’t have their first-round pick this year, they did acquire Detroit’s second-rounder, at No. 33 overall. High second-round picks often get three- or four-year commitments, so Toronto could use a small portion of its mid-level exception to sign that player.

VanVleet and Siakam are both eligible for extensions this offseason, and I’d expect the Raptors to prioritize VanVleet, who only has one guaranteed year left on his current deal before facing a player option decision in 2023.

While VanVleet’s struggles to make an impact in the first round of the playoffs against Philadelphia were a little concerning, he was battling multiple injuries and has proved his postseason bona fides in past series. Toronto should feel fine about offering him a deal that gives him at least a modest raise on his current $21MM-per-year rate. Siakam still has two guaranteed seasons left, so there’s no rush to lock him up quite yet.

Salary Cap Situation

Note: Our salary cap figures are based on the league’s latest projection ($122MM) for 2022/23.

Guaranteed Salary

Pascal Siakam ($35,448,672)
Fred VanVleet ($21,250,000)
Gary Trent Jr. ($17,505,000)
OG Anunoby ($17,357,143)
Scottie Barnes ($7,644,600)
Khem Birch ($6,667,500)
Precious Achiuwa ($2,840,160)
Malachi Flynn ($2,145,720)
Dalano Banton ($150,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. ¹
Ishmail Wainwright ($125,000) — Waived.
Armoni Brooks ($50,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. ²
Total: $111,183,795

Player Options

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk ($1,878,720): Non-Bird rights
Total: $1,878,720

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Armoni Brooks ($1,702,638) ²
Dalano Banton ($1,413,518) ¹
Total: $3,116,156

Restricted Free Agents

Nando De Colo ($2,011,516 qualifying offer / $2,011,516 cap hold): Early Bird rights ³
Total (cap holds): $2,011,516

Two-Way Free Agents

Justin Champagnie ($1,616,044 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
David Johnson ($1,616,044 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Total: $3,232,088

Draft Picks

No. 33 overall pick (no cap hold)

Extension-Eligible Players

Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2022/23 season begins.

Pascal Siakam (veteran)
Fred VanVleet (veteran)

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Thaddeus Young ($21,285,000 cap hold): Bird rights
Chris Boucher ($13,338,000 cap hold): Bird rights
Lucas Nogueira ($8,841,915 cap hold): Bird rights ³
Isaac Bonga ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Jeremy Lin ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights ³
Jodie Meeks ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights ³
Jason Thompson ($1,811,516 cap hold): Non-Bird rights ³
Yuta Watanabe ($1,811,516 cap hold): Early Bird rights
Total: $52,522,495

Offseason Cap Outlook

If we assume the Raptors retain Banton, they’d have about $112.5MM in guaranteed money committed to nine players. That puts them in position to operate over the projected cap ($122MM), especially if they intend to bring back at least one of Boucher or Young. And unless one of those players is a lot more expensive than we expect, Toronto should also have plenty of breathing room below the projected $149MM tax line, opening the door to use some or all of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

Cap Exceptions Available

Mid-level exception: $10,349,000 ⁴
Bi-annual exception: $4,050,000 ⁴
Trade exception: $5,250,000
Trade exception: $3,070,052

Footnotes

Banton’s partial guarantee will increase to $300K after July 4 and his full salary will become guaranteed after the first day of the regular season.
Brooks’ partial guarantee will increase to $250K after August 1 and his full salary will become guaranteed after the first day of the regular season.
The cap holds for De Colo, Nogueira, Lin, Meeks, and Thompson remain on the Raptors’ books from prior seasons because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
These are projected values.

Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

And-Ones: CBA, Top FAs, Trade Value Ranks, Rookies

June 8th, 2022 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are meeting in Boston on Wednesday to discuss the Collective Bargaining Agreement, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

As Wojnarowski explains, the league and union both have the ability to opt out of the current CBA this December, so the two sides are having a preliminary meeting as they prepare to engage in more serious talks about a new CBA in the coming months.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

John Hollinger of The Athletic lays out the top 25 free agents of 2022 based on his BORD$ formula. Hollinger’s valuation formula deviates from the consensus for several players, including Raptors big man Chris Boucher ($19.8MM), Nets guard Bruce Brown ($19MM), and Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton ($10.8MM).
A team of HoopsHype writers ranked the top 100 players in the NBA by trade value, from Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo at No. 1 to Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis at No. 100.
Rookies typically don’t see a whole lot of action during the NBA playoffs, but the 2021 draft class has had a greater postseason impact than usual, according to Louis Zatzman of FiveThirtyEight.com, who takes a deep dive into the data.
Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net takes a look at some of the top EuroLeague players who are candidates to make a move to the NBA this offseason, including several who already have some NBA experience under their belts.

Draft Notes: Hardy, Braun, Roddy, Pistons, Ivey

June 8th, 2022 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters after working out for Washington on Tuesday, G League Ignite guard Jaden Hardy said he has already worked out for the Warriors, Bucks, Timberwolves, and Thunder, and has auditions on tap with the Hawks, Hornets, Mavericks, and Pelicans (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Athletic). Viewed as a good bet to be a first-round pick, Hardy currently ranks 22nd overall on ESPN’s big board.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

Kansas shooting guard Christian Braun, the No. 30 prospect on ESPN’s board, has worked out for the Bucks, Clippers, and Magic, and had a visit scheduled with the Grizzlies this week, tweets Andrew Lind. Those four teams each have at least one pick between No. 22 and No. 43 in this year’s draft.
Colorado State forward David Roddy, ESPN’s No. 46 prospect, had a meet and greet with Nuggets staffers a month ago and was brought back for a workout with the team on Tuesday, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. Asked if he senses interest from the Nuggets, Roddy replied, “I would say so. Everybody’s a fan of my game here. They’ve told me that.” Roddy has also worked out for several other teams, including the Warriors and Raptors, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link).
David Aldridge of The Athletic spoke to a handful of coaches and executives at the college and NBA levels to get their thoughts on several of the top guards in the 2022 draft class, including Jaden Ivey, Shaedon Sharpe, Dyson Daniels, Johnny Davis, and several others. One Eastern Conference executive told Aldridge that he knows the Pistons – who hold the No. 5 overall pick – “love” Ivey.

Raptors Look To Upgrade; Workout Set With Julian Champagnie

June 7th, 2022 at 2:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Eric Koreen of The Athletic looks at four areas where the Raptors need to improve and suggests potential pick-ups to help with each one. One of the team’s primary concerns is finding more play-makers to go along with Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes, and Koreen points to Malik Monk, Tyus Jones, Victor Oladipo, Delon Wright and Kyle Anderson as possible free agent targets. Koreen also believes Toronto has to upgrade its shooting, rim protection and perimeter defense.
Julian Champagnie of St. John’s will work out for the Raptors on Wednesday, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.

Bulls Reportedly Eyeing Rudy Gobert, Other Centers

June 6th, 2022 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls are among the teams with interest in Jazz center Rudy Gobert, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. O’Connor reports that Chicago has its eye on a number of centers who could be available this offseason, including unrestricted free agent Mitchell Robinson.

Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls’ current starting center, is coming off a 2021/22 season in which he averaged 17.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game on .473/.314/.760 shooting in 73 games (33.1 MPG). That scoring average was Vucevic’s lowest since 2017/18, though that was largely about him taking on a complementary offensive role in Chicago alongside Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan after a few years of being the go-to guy in Orlando.

If the Bulls were to make a play for Gobert, Vucevic would almost certainly have to be included in their trade offer, both for salary-matching purposes and due to their on-court incompatibility.

Gobert, of course, is a much better defender than Vucevic and less of an offensive weapon, which might be a better fit for the Bulls, especially if LaVine is re-signed. However, Gobert also represents the far more significant financial commitment — he’s under contract for nearly $170MM over the next four years, while Vucevic will have a $22MM expiring deal.

If the Bulls hang onto Vucevic this offseason, they’ll likely pursue a more affordable backup center. It’s unclear if a free agent like Robinson would be willing to accept such a role, but perhaps he’d be intrigued by the opportunity if there’s a potential path to a larger role after Vucevic’s contract expires. The Bulls will also have the option of negotiating an extension with Vucevic.

Chicago will be over the cap this offseason, assuming LaVine returns, but should have the full mid-level exception available to offer potential free agent targets.

O’Connor adds that he has also heard the rumblings – previously relayed by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report – that the Raptors have interest in Gobert.