After coming up short in the postseason, it has become increasingly clear that changes are coming. Whether through free agency, trades, or internal restructuring, the Raptors are expected to make several roster adjustments in hopes of taking a meaningful step forward next season, and with limited roster flexibility, it is almost certain that not everyone will be returning.

Here are four Raptors who could be playing elsewhere next season:

1. Garrett Temple

Up first on the list is Garrett Temple.

While some fans may not like the idea of losing him, especially given how respected he is within the organization, Temple’s future in Toronto remains uncertain. Despite appearing in just 22 games and averaging only 0.8 points in 3.3 minutes per contest, if you know anything about him, then you know his value far outweighs his box score contributions.

Temple was widely viewed as one of the team’s most important veteran voices and was even nominated for the NBA’s Teammate of the Year Award, ultimately finishing fourth behind DeAndre Jordan, Jrue Holiday, and Jeff Green.

For a young Raptors squad, being able to have Temple’s leadership and professionalism on the team carried real value. 

Still, Toronto now faces an important question: is it more valuable to keep a veteran mentor at the end of the bench, or use that roster spot on a younger player with long-term upside?

As the team has matured past a group of rookies and sophomores, and has gained playoff experience, it’s arguable that having another feasible contributor would be more meaningful than a mentor. And if Temple does move on, he will undoubtedly be missed. However, given the respect he has earned within the organization, it would not be surprising to eventually see him return in some sort of coaching or player development role down the line.

2. Gradey Dick

Gradey Dick’s situation may be one of the more intriguing storylines of Toronto’s offseason.

After showing legitimate promise during his sophomore season, averaging 14.4 points while shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc, many expected Dick to become a major part of the Raptors’ long-term core. Instead, his third season took a disappointing turn, particularly after the All-Star break.

Once a consistent part of Darko Rajakovic’s rotation, Dick saw both his minutes and production decline dramatically. He averaged just 14 minutes per game during the second half of the season while shooting only 30.1 percent from deep and scoring just 6.0 points per contest. He frequently forced it offensively, and though peel switching kept him alive defensively, he wasn’t able to hang in plays in isolation otherwise.

With major financial decisions looming involving players such RJ Barrett, Toronto could decide to move on from Dick in order to create additional cap flexibility. His $7.13 million salary may become more valuable as a trade asset than as part of the team’s future rotation, and it is expiring, meaning other players could want him either as a second-draft candidate, or as a way of shedding salary for next season.

Recent reports have only added fuel to that possibility. According to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, Dick is reportedly “amenable to” a trade, making a potential split increasingly realistic.

At this point, a fresh start may ultimately benefit both sides.

3. Sandro Mamukelashvili

Few players became fan favorites in Toronto as quickly as Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Mamu consistently brought energy, and much-needed frontcourt depth to the Raptors, and based purely on fan reaction, bringing him back would seem like an easy decision. Unfortunately for Toronto, retaining him may not be so simple.

Mamukelashvili has already expressed interest in returning, praising both the organization and head coach Darko Rajakovic for giving him an opportunity to expand his role and prove himself as a legitimate NBA rotation player. However, there is an issue…money talks.

Because the Raptors do not hold Mamukelashvili’s Bird Rights, opposing teams could potentially outbid Toronto in free agency. After signing a modest two-year, $5.26 million contract with a player option, Mamu significantly raised his value during the 2025–26 season.

After averaging just 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in limited minutes with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2024–25 campaign, Mamukelashvili flourished in Toronto. In his first season with the Raptors, he averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds while playing nearly 22 minutes per game. He even finished 10th in Sixth Man of the Year voting, ahead of teammate Jamal Shead. Though he struggled in the playoffs, his regular season was spectacular.

In today’s NBA, versatile big men who can stretch the floor are highly coveted, and teams in need of additional shooting and size, such as the Chicago Bulls or Portland Trail Blazers, could make a serious push for him this summer.

4. Trayce Jackson-Davis

Last on the list is Trayce Jackson-Davis. Toronto’s trade deadline was underwhelming to say the least. Tied to a lot of trade rumors at the time, the Raps were expected to make a big splash, but that was not the case as Toronto ended up with just acquiring Jackson-Davis from the Golden State Warriors. Raps also got Chris Paul. However, he was waived within the week of the deal. 

It seemed as though he might offer insurance at the big spot for Toronto. But in 17 games with the Raptors, he averaged just 1.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in five minutes per game. He never entered the rotation outside of injury, and that didn’t change in the playoffs, as he logged only four minutes of garbage time against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That lack of trust is especially notable considering Toronto’s struggles with rebounding and interior size throughout that series against the Cavs.

Jackson-Davis does have a relatively inexpensive $2.4 million team option, but based on how little he was utilized, it seems increasingly unlikely that the Raptors view him as a meaningful part of their future plans.

While some of Toronto’s potential offseason decisions already feel predictable, others will require a more significant thought process. Only time will tell what Toronto has up their sleeve. For now, all eyes remain on what Toronto has planned once free agency officially opens on June 30, 2026.

The post Four Raptors who aren’t likely to return next season first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The post HISTORY Was Made In Toronto | Tempo Talk Game Analysis first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The Toronto Tempo made history on Friday, and although they started off their first season with a 68-65 loss to the Washington Mystics, there was plenty to build on as they begin to lay a foundation for the franchise. It was an exhilarating finish in front of a raucous sell-out crowd of 8,210 at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

Anticipation is tricky. A moment never unfolds quite like it’s envisioned. Kia Nurse’s triple getting the Tempo on the board in their first preseason game might be the closest it gets. But the Tempo’s first-ever regular-season basket was run of the mill. Brittney Skyes coming off a ball screen and getting a pull-up mid-range jumper to go. But that was the start. The Tempo are in the game now.

They’re done with anticipation. Brondello was done with it before the tip. The team’s been “locked in” on the prize since training camp.

“Oh, let’s play,” Brondello said pregame “Let’s go. I love it, I suppose I’m a bit like a player too. Let’s just get into playing games. I love the grind of the season. There’s a lot. We don’t play until next Wednesday, but then we’re on a road trip. From Wednesday it’s six games in 11 days and travelling to the West Coast.

“Hey, welcome to the WNBA moment. But I enjoy that. Especially when you win, it’s great, but when you lose, you get an opportunity to get straight back on the court and to get better.”

Friday’s franchise-opening loss checked both boxes. There were moments of greatness and plenty to improve on.

The Tempo were active on defence, but at times it verged on a scramble as they weren’t quite on a string yet. More hanging on by a thread. Offensively they stayed in motion, swinging the ball around the perimeter and setting plenty of screens but they missed most of the shots that materialized, 4-of-14 shooting in the first quarter and 1-of-6 from 3.

Julie Allemand sprinted back in transition and picked the ball from behind to prevent an easy bucket. The effort was there.

Maria Conde and Allemand miscommunicated on a cut, nearly turning the ball over, but it eventually worked back around to Allemand after they recovered and she splashed an above the break 3. The effort started to pay off.

Still they were a touch off beat to start. Understandable for a brand new group.

“The physicality bothered us a fair bit,” Brondello said after the game. “I think we were our own worst enemy of we held the ball too long. And their post players were very intimidating at the rim. When we got downhill, we just had to finish or find the open man a little bit more. Not try to force it, and we forced too many mid-rangers, which is not a great shot in the game.

“But you know there are things we can tidy up … offensively needs to be much better. We’ll go to work, we don’t play until Wednesday, so we have a few days to get ready.”

Marina Mabrey drew two fouls, first on a deep three and later on a drive downhill. Slim wasn’t playing slim, going hard to the hoop for a finish through multiple defenders.

We weren’t passed the five minute mark of the second quarter before there were seven total fouls in the frame. Brondello has described her players as “tough-minded” ad nauseam and they were quick to prove her right.

It was a slog through the first half, 37-30 for the Mystics, but that’s only right. Starting something new isn’t supposed to be easy. Mabrey was the Tempo’s leading scorer at half on 1-of-8 from the field and 8-of-8 from the line. That’s the kind of game it was.

The shooting variance immediately started to come around for Mabrey to start the second half as she canned a pull-up triple, then another tough step-back. Sykes knifed into the lane for an off-balance scoop finish. The W’s first million-dollar backcourt started playing like it.

“We don’t want a steady diet of that though,” said Mabrey post-game. “I’m taking step-back 30-footers and Slim’s taking layups with a lot of people trying to block it. While it’s great to make those – sometimes we need that at the end of the clock – I don’t know if in the middle of the offence that’s what we really want.

“We want to clean that up and get better shots for us and also, if you look at the shot chart, we do want other people to shoot too.”

Tough pull-up shot making from leading Mystic’s scorers Sonia Citron and Shakira Austin swiftly put the Tempo back at arms reach.

Slim pushed off her own board, hit an in-and-out dribble in the lane and finished with her off hand for an and-1. Her free throw cut the lead to four, where it stayed entering the fourth.

It was a couple minutes before points were on the board in the fourth quarter, and the Tempo had to fight for them. A couple recovered balls before Laura Juskaite deposited her second attempt through the rim. But they didn’t score again for another three minutes. Once again it was pushing through contact for fouls that kept it close, cutting the score down to one.

“I feel like Laura did a great job, she came in and gave us the energy we needed, because we kind of shot ourselves in the foot there energy-wise, I feel like, throughout the game,” Nyara Sabally said. So just having a player like her come in and just hit the glass, I feel like we needed to do that more. That’s one of our strengths. I feel like that can be one of our strengths this year.”

Mabrey’s shot making was the Tempo’s rising tide in this game. She stuck yet another tough second-half 3 to put them up one, send the crowd into a frenzy and force a Mystic’s timeout. Let’s go Tempo chants pulsed through the building.

The Mystics snatched the lead back, but a Sabally steal and run out chipped away again. Slim drew an offensive foul, they went five-out and a Slim flash set up an open Juskaite corner 3. Tie game. The Tempo clawed tooth and nail. A forced loose-ball foul and Mabrey free throws gave them the lead again. But it wasn’t meant to be. Four Austin free throws put their first-ever game on ice.

The Tempo struggled in the fourth quarter of their two preseason games (minus-20). Friday they were plus-1. They’re still learning how to win. Hell they’re still learning a new country. Still learning each other.

That was the Tempo’s first-ever WNBA game at home in Toronto. Lots to be proud of and plenty to work on. Their next opportunity comes on home court Wednesday against the Seattle Storm.

The post Quick Reaction: Mystics 68, Tempo 65 first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Ingram made the All-Star team for the second time in his career this season, as he averaged a team-high 21.5 points per game, along with 5.6 rebounds per game and 3.7 assists per game. During his end-of-season media availability Ingram revealed that his heel injury had been affecting him for quite some time, and that he was simply pushing through the pain that the injury caused.

“It’s something that I’ve been dealing with; it flared up in March, didn’t have enough time to rest it, trying to make the playoffs,” stated Ingram when asked about when his injury began to bother him.

Eventually, this injury caused him to miss the final 2 games of the Toronto Raptors 7-game first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Playing 18 games last season, I prided myself on playing every game, and it got to the point where I couldn’t push off of it. I wanted to come back, but the staff ruled me out; that was frustrating,” stated Ingram.

With this surgery being handled early in his offseason, Ingram will have ample time to recover and get in on-court work throughout the summer.

The post Brandon Ingram undergoes heel surgery first appeared on Raptors Republic.

And with that, head coach Sandy Brondello and her staff have finalized the inaugural team’s initial roster.

To get everyone set for what’s going to be a historic first season for the Tempo and a special 30th-anniversary campaign for the WNBA, here’s a breakdown of Toronto’s first-ever roster ahead of Friday’s matchup against the Washington Mystics.

Marina Mabrey (G): No. 1 option

Going into Year 8, the microwave scorer and “Crashout Queen” has finally been put into a position to put it all together. She’ll be considered one of the Tempo’s top offensive options, based on talent, reputation and investment. Mabrey is now one of the league’s top-paid guards, and Toronto is hoping that on the heels of her breakout showing as the Unrivaled league’s top scorer this past summer, she can bring that edge to the expansion franchise. Think high-volume perimeter shooter, who can also put it on the deck and work into some mid-range looks.

Brittney Sykes (G): Point-of-attack pest

A.K.A. “Slim,” the 10-year vet is widely regarded as one of the WNBA’s top defenders. She’s a four-time all-defence selection and two-time steals champ. In fact, GMs around the league voted her the second-best perimeter defender and top-ranked athlete. And the guard will certainly be a leader in helping the Tempo establish the defensive identity they’re hoping to. Sykes now forms the WNBA’s first million-dollar backcourt with fellow New Jersey native Mabrey. The 32-year-old is no slouch on the offensive end either, routinely slashing off the ball, shooting when called upon and handling spot PG duties. Sykes is also coming off her first WNBA all-star selection last season, averaging 14.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals between the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm.

Julie Allemand (G): Floor general

The Euroleague Final Six MVP is also a candidate to break out in Toronto. Allemand is a pass-first point guard who offers good size for the position and is projected to handle a majority of the bring-up ball-handler duties for the Tempo. A disciplined guard — who led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio last season (min. 30 games played) — and will now be tasked with orchestrating a lot of what Brondello wants to accomplish with her pace-and-space scheme.

Nyara Sabally (F): Blossoming big

The younger Sabally sister has yet to feature prominently in the WNBA, but if she can stay healthy, Brondello is confident the fourth-year forward can make an impact. The veteran coach made a concerted effort to recruit Sabally to Toronto after coaching her in New York for three seasons, with hopes of seeing her take on a heightened role. In 10 games as a starter last season, the 26-year-old averaged 6.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks on 52 per cent shooting.

Temi Fágbénlé (C): Interior vet

As one of the tallest and oldest players on the team, Fagbenle will undoubtedly be relied upon. Both as an anchor in the middle and as a veteran leader. The 33-year-old also brings a unique perspective, after spending last season with a then-expansion Golden State Valkyries team that found a way to make the playoffs in Year 1. Fagbenle played a part in that, averaging career-bests of 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists. She shot over 60 per cent on her twos and ranked 11th in field-goal percentage among players who attempted at least 2.5 shots in the restricted area per game.

Kiki Rice (G): Top rookie

Taken sixth overall and with the first-ever entry draft selection by the Tempo, there’s justifiably a lot of hype surrounding Rice. The 22-year-old proved her prowess on both ends of the floor en route to winning a national title with UCLA, and has the makings of a legit two-way talent in the WNBA. How she develops as an off-ball player — leveraging what looked to be a burgeoning jump shot in college — will be key as ball-handling reps could be limited early on in a crowded backcourt. When she does get some chances to run the show, if the pre-season is any indication, Rice will only get better with every passing game.

Isabelle Harrison (F): Scheme-familiar forward

One of the more tenured players on the roster and in Brondello’s system, Harrison brings eight years of experience in the WNBA. The forward spent last season as a bench player for the Liberty, where she averaged 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11 minutes per game. Given her familiarity with Brondello and the scheme she wants to run, Harrison could see an increased role, maybe even showing the form that earned her Most Improved Player of the Year votes back in 2017. However, Harrison will need to get healthy first, as she’s currently sidelined with a hand injury and considered day-to-day.

Lexi Held (G): Second-unit sparkplug

After a solid rookie season in the W last year, the 25-year-old could be in store for a big uptick in production given her versatility on and off the ball for a Tempo team that will need a consistent scoring punch off the bench. Brondello even tested out a late-game ATO play designed for Held toward the end of the Tempo’s pre-season opener against the Connecticut Sun. Held was Toronto’s best player through the exhibition schedule, averaging 13.0 points, 1.0 assists and 1.5 steals on 50 per cent shooting from the field and 54.5 per cent from beyond the arc.

Laura Juškaitė (W): Swiss-Army Knife

The Lithuanian rookie appears more than ready to make the transition to the W, if two pre-season games are any indication. Juskaite averaged 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 23 minutes per game. The Tempo gave her minutes both off the bench and as a starter, and I anticipate that role fluidity will continue into the regular season. The words that may describe her game best are crafty and gritty, both of which should help her earn a consistent spot in the rotation.

María Conde (W): Other Swiss-Army Knife

Considered a top “prospect” finally ready and healthy enough to make her debut in the WNBA, the Spaniard is a do-it-all player on both ends of the floor. While she’s similar to Juskaite in that sense, Conde has also shown real guard skills with the ball in her hands, coupled with the size and strength to offer a post presence. The same goes for defence, as she’s spoken with pride about the growth she’s shown in adding versatility to that end of the floor. Conde has the talent to earn starter minutes relatively quickly and prove her game as plenty more than just hype.

Teonni Key (F): Prospect forward

Taken 22nd overall in the 2026 draft, the rookie offers an intriguing blend of versatility from the forward spot. She’s shown craft both as a screener and a post player, but hasn’t been afraid to step into wing duties when needed on both ends of the court. That she made the Opening Day roster after a pair of mild pre-season outings speaks to the faith Brondello and the Tempo have in Key’s abilities moving forward. She jumps to the pros after a quality senior season at Kentucky, where she averaged 11.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 blocks.

Kia Nurse (G): Stabilizing vet

The lone Canadian on the Tempo’s inaugural roster, Nurse has made it known she plans to be a “glue player” for the team. While the Hamilton, Ont. native has been anointed the face of the franchise, or at least the spokesperson, given her roots, Nurse will presumably play a modest role off the bench. Likely similar to her time with the Chicago Sky last season, when Nurse averaged 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists as a 34 per cent shooter from beyond the arc. Her quick-trigger triples and composed style of play will certainly have opportunities to contribute on the Tempo, especially considering her familiarity with Brondello’s system, having been coached by the Aussie in Phoenix five years ago.

Mariella Fasoula (F): Depth forward

When asked about the addition of Fasoula to fill out the first of two developmental slots, Brondello said it was about adding “post depth.” The 28-year-old is coming off a training camp stint with the Valkyries, and could play an early role for the Tempo, who are facing a couple of injuries in the front-court with Sabally returning from concussion protocol and Harrison (hand) still sidelined. Brondello also noted Fasoula’s age and experience as a factor in adding the Greek forward, as she should acclimate quickly and be ready to contribute sooner rather than later.

The post What to know about each Tempo player ahead of Opening Day first appeared on Raptors Republic.

As Canada’s first professional women’s basketball team, the mere existence of the Bordeaux and Borealis blue-adorned squad shifted the landscape of both basketball and sport as a whole in the country.

That reality is not lost on the players.

“I got chills thinking about it … to be part of that type of history, I’m grateful,” Brittney Sykes said after practice on Wednesday. “It’s a lot of gratitude, and it’s just a lot of remembering why you do what you do.”

And it may have gotten lost in the shuffle between the trailblazing and history-making, but what Sykes and her teammates do is play basketball.

While the on-court product has felt secondary at times, at least from a fan perspective, once the opening jump ball is tossed for Friday’s season opener, basketball will be all there is to focus on.

And for what it’s worth, head coach Sandy Brondello and her team have been locked in on the on-court aspect for the better part of two weeks. A period of time that highlights both what Brondello’s team hopes to accomplish and how many decisions are yet to be made.

Which has led to Friday, for a matchup against the upstart Washington Mystics. The team Sykes spent 2.5 seasons with before they shipped her off to the Seattle Storm midway through 2025, and the same squad that features a couple of rookie Kiki Rice’s national championship-winning teammates from UCLA. Details that haven’t been discussed a lot yet, with how much of a spotlight has been placed on simply getting to this point — shaping an identity and inspiring a fandom.

But the time to focus on hoops has arrived. And for fans to lock in just as the Tempo have throughout training camp and the pre-season.

Defensive discipline

The Tempo wasted little time in branding themselves as a defence-first ball club heading into Year 1, especially one that wants to apply plenty of pressure on the ball, in gaps and passing lanes. Ask any player on the team, and they’ll tell you as much.

But as many Toronto basketball fans learned by watching the 2025-26 Raptors, honing the discipline required to execute upon such an aggressive scheme requires plenty of discipline as well. A notion that’s only been reaffirmed throughout the Tempo’s pre-season appearances.

Early (and very high) pick-ups were frequent — sometimes even close to 94 feet — and gap help was routine. And although that helped generate 41 opponent turnovers (for 30 points) through two exhibition games, it also led to 58 fouls.

(According to Yahoo Sports’ Nekias Duncan, the Tempo’s average pick-up distance through the pre-season was 57.7 feet, more than 10 feet higher than the Sun’s league-leading mark of 47.5 feet last year. We’ll have to wait and see if that type of pressure can be maintained.)

After Toronto’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx, Brondello — voted the coach who’ll make the biggest impact with their new team on the WNBA’s GM survey — noted that “foul discipline” was an area she’d like to see cleaned up moving forward, while also making note of the many backcuts that had been allowed throughout the night due to miscommunications on rotations.

In asking the bench boss how much of that is a result of players needing to acclimate to a system that requires so much cohesion, she acknowledged that “there’s so much learning going on in this short period of time,” but was also confident that “we’ve got the personnel that we can be really aggressive defensively.”

“What kind of shots do we want to give up, know who we’re guarding and making sure that we’re all connected … so there is clarity in how we play defence, and in the end, it’s just making sure five players operating together on a string and playing as hard as they can.

Sykes, who was voted as the WNBA’s most athletic player and second-best perimeter defender by GMs across the league, echoed that sentiment: “(The defensive miscues) we had in Minnesota, that’s a chemistry thing. That’s knowing, OK, I might have a my teammate to the side of me who probably isn’t that quick as me laterally, let me be in help a little bit more for that person. Whereas I might be a strong defender on ball. Probably don’t have to help that much on me … I think we all have the intention to be great defenders, but we obviously are true about our tendencies, but that’s where we help, where we talk about it in practice.”

Time will tell if Brondello’s squad can get in sync sooner rather than later, but if we continue to use the Raptors as a frame of reference, there are indications that it can be established even in the midst of action. After two weeks of the NBA regular season, for instance, Toronto’s defence ranked 24th, and it wasn’t until some fine-tuning that it shaped into what finished the year as a top-five unit.

Rookies rolling

After what can most accurately be described as a “Welcome to the W” outing for two of the Tempo’s rookies in their pre-season opener against the Connecticut Sun, both seem to be bouncing back well.

“I took BG (Brittney Griner) in on the first play, tried to drive in there and get a shot up, but she definitely blocked it … it was definitely a Welcome to the W moment,” Rice said with a smile when asked about her first WNBA experience.

After starting and struggling against Connecticut, the former Bruin came off the bench in Minnesota and appeared to find her attack angles much more comfortably. When she’s been able to carve out north-south driving lanes, Rice has proven she can make plays at the pro level. She finished with a steady 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, with two rebounds, two assists and a steal on no turnovers against the Lynx.

Meanwhile, Teonni Key was able to make her first pro buckets against Minnesota after going scoreless against the Sun. The forward did foul out for a second consecutive game, however, but managed to generate some free throws and collect six rebounds before doing so. Listed at 6-foot-4.5, Key is one of the tallest players on a roster that lacks size in its frontcourt, so the rookie will certainly be called upon throughout her first WNBA season.

That she made the Opening Day roster despite being a second-round pick bodes well for the belief Brondello and the organization have in Key. I’ll also mention that on more than one occasion, she’s been one of the last players on the court following the open portion of practice that media are allowed to observe, putting in extra work that appears to be paying off.

Another “rookie” worth keeping an eye on is Maria Conde, who has yet to step on the court for the Tempo or any other WNBA team, despite bringing an abundance of pro experience from overseas.

The team’s leadership has dubbed her “one of the best players in all of Europe who’s never been in the WNBA.” On a squad that has put a good chunk of its focus on guard depth and front-court upside, having a reliable player on the wing who can score, facilitate and provide positional versatility — thanks to her length — on defence will certainly go a long way, the latter being an area the Spaniard feels she’s really shown development.

“I think I’ve grown into being a defensive player,” Conde told reporters after her first practice with the Tempo. ” … With my size and speed, and hopefully smartness of the game, I can adapt to whatever the team needs me to do. If that’s playing small ball, I will do that. If that’s playing big and setting screens, I would do that also.”

Joining Conde in making the jump from Europe is Laura Juskaite, who appears to be part of the Tempo’s rotation heading into her first WNBA season. The Lithuanian was one of Toronto’s most active and productive players against the Sun, racking up 10 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals, while shooting 4-of-6 from the line. Juskaite showed real craft as a passer with a couple wrap-around dimes and a knack for hunting rebounds, which Brondello has mentioned will be a point of emphasis given the team’s lack of height (minus-five on the glass through the pre-season).

Juskaite started against the Lynx, and although she shot 2-of-10 for six points, she still managed to grab seven rebounds and two steals. If her touch up-close can continue to improve, her ability to slash and attack closeouts in Brondello’s five-out system could lead to some very productive outings for the rookie.

“Sh*t, yeah, turnovers”

Leave it to the always well-spoken Sykes to provide a simple, yet meaningful response when asked what specific area the team is working to overcome, or at least build consistency around.

Sykes noted that for a team with so little chemistry given their circumstances, mistakes like turnovers will happen, but it’s all about making “that sh*t with complete confidence, that way we know how to fix it on the back end instead of it being an in-between gray area.”

And the 10-year vet has a point, that within Brondello’s pace-and-space scheme, moving the ball and generating looks for teammates is part of the protocol, and heavy ball-movement systems are often prone to more miscues. (The head coach noted she’d like her team to post approximately 20 assists per game on average.)

It’s ultimately a matter of what kind of turnovers are being made and how they’re being limited on the backend. Through two exhibition games, the Tempo committed 35 turnovers for 38 points. Although a two-game sample is undoubtedly small, for context’s sake, their average of 17.5 giveaways was two turnovers greater than the Chicago Sky’s league-leading mark from 2025.

“Finish or find”

There’s been plenty said about Brondello’s system and how it fits the Tempo’s guard-heavy roster. And while it’s hardly reached its final form through just a couple of pre-season games, I asked the bench boss about what she’s seen from the offence, especially what appears to be a three-point-heavy attack.

“I thought the first game, when we had 30 threes, I think that’s great,” she said. “I love threes as long as they’re great shots … But I also love getting to the rim as well, so it’s finish or find, being aggressive … we’ve got the capabilities there, so making sure everyone — where can we give space for our players to get downhill but also create for our shooters.”

Brondello — spoken like a true advocate of modern hoops — joked that as long as it helps win games, she “loves all of it,” except for long-twos, which she would “eradicate” if possible.

The bench boss also noted that having Marina Mabrey healthy and in the mix on Friday — after missing both pre-season games due to a back injury — will certainly help the Tempo’s offensive execution.

Not only is the guard one of Toronto’s highest-paid players and de facto leaders, but she was also one of the league’s highest-volume three-point shooters last year, as one of just four players taking at least seven attempts from beyond the arc. Although Mabrey’s 27.0 per cent conversion rate ranked lowest of the bunch, and was also a career-low mark.

The hope is that it can be considered an outlier given she’s a career 34.7 per cent shooter from distance, and that the Tempo plan to let it fly this upcoming season. At least that’s the indication from pre-season — their 27.5 attempts from deep per game would’ve ranked fourth-highest in the WNBA last season. Conversion obviously matters as well, however, so it’s worth noting that the team’s 31.0 per cent clip (through two games) would’ve been third-lowest.

The post Tempo Takeaways: Observations from pre-season play first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Talking to head coach Sandy Brondello and the players in the lead up to the season, they’ve provided a vivid description of the style of basketball they aim to play on both ends of the floor. It’s high-pick-up-point, high-pressure, taxing defence and five-out, point-five, ball-movement-based offence.

Brondello made these philosophies known on the first day of training camp.

“We want to make sure we’re a defensive, tough-minded team,” she said. “So we have principles of play there. Trying to get early pickups, you know, the full court pressure, our pick-and-roll defence. So, we broke it down. Trans D is a big thing for us, because that’s where a lot of teams can get to score.

“Offensive, down the other end, just our running habits. We’re a five-out team, predominantly. And just getting used to that, because some of them are not used to that, and getting comfortable with the movement. You know, we like to move the ball. Point-five mentality, you’ll hear me say that a fair bit. We don’t like to hold it, we want to move it, but then also how do we create advantages?”

If you’re a Toronto Raptors fan, this probably sounds familiar. They pick up high, play a high line of defence (particularly in their recent playoff series) and were among the best transition defences in the NBA. Their coach Darko Rajaković also preaches an egalitarian, point-five offence that features five-out concepts. Tempo hoops could look quite similar if Brondello’s vision is realized.

“There’s a lot of non-negotiables in the defence,” Brondello said at Tempo media day. “If you saw the Raptors last night (in Game 4), we want to be a great defensive team like that. You know, how connected they were and how hard they competed. And that’s so important because in the end, defence wins, doesn’t it?”

On the offensive side, point-five basketball is named after how long a player should take to decide to shoot, dribble, or pass – 0.5 seconds. The idea is that as the ball moves quickly and players make the right decisions, small advantages are created and cascaded into larger ones until ideally, an easy bucket.

The effectiveness of this style of play hinges on reading the defence correctly. But it also necessitates being on the same page as your teammates. Knowing their timing and tendencies. A read can’t be made without knowing where ones teammates are and where they will be. Implementing such a system with a new team is prone to growing pains.

“Just stay true to the principles of play,” said Brondello at training camp. “The hardest thing is the decision making, isn’t it? Training isn’t all about breaking it down. It’s very simple, you draw two, you kick it. If it’s just one-on-one, you create until you draw someone else.

“But we’re very intentional of how do we create advantage and how do we keep advantages. We’re gonna learn by doing. Sometimes I’m like ‘No that’s not right’ because still everyone has to be on the same page. Players want to play on a string, but still reading, who do we want to put in the action and continuing to evolve that part of the game.”

Playing five-out on offence has also come into vogue in the W. Brondello said: “With our three-second rule, a lot of us are playing five-out.”

One popular five-out concept is delay action, where the centre handles the ball outside of the three-point line – ideally drawing the opposing big out and opening up the paint – while cutters and spot up shooters run action around them. So far, through two preseason games, the Tempo have put it into practice often.

In the first clip Temi Fagbenle toggles through a couple options before making a methodical handoff to Lexi Held, pivoting in the process to give her extra room off the edge. It comes in handy as Held knocks down a step-back three.

Next we have Kia Nurse lifting off a Chicago (or Zoom) action (off-ball screen into a handoff), taking the handoff from Nyara Sabally, and banging a triple with zero hesitation.

Then we have another Zoom, as Fagbenle completes the handoff and the ball is cycled back to the inital screener, who successfully drives the closeout.

Last we have Kiki Rice toss to Fagbenle above the break before receiving a back screen from Aaliyah Nye. Nye, who has since been waived, then curls off the handoff and drains a tough triple.

The final clip included above doesn’t feature delay action, but is just a good example of point-five basketball. Rice hands the ball off, Nye back-cuts and drives baseline and Held – who finished the first preseason game with a team-high 21 points on 5-of-8 from long range – cans the open 3. The first good decision was turning the corner off the pitch, the second was the baseline cut and the pass to find them, and the third was finding the open corner shooter. Quality hoops rewarded with a bucket.

Sabally, who came into camp already familiar with Brondello’s system after playing under her with the New York Liberty, thinks the roster is well-suited for this style of basketball.

“It fits really well if you look at our roster,” said Sabally, who is questionable for the Tempo’s opener due to concussion protocol, at training camp. “I mean I think it’s exactly tailored to that.

“So, I think it’s going to be a huge success, just the way we play, fast pace. Even our bigs are really known for their fast pace and running habits. The guards are – I mean you can just take a look at the guards.”

The Tempo do have the WNBA’s first million-dollar backcourt after all and selected another promising young guard in Rice with the sixth-overall pick to boot. Their first pick in the expansion draft, Julie Allemand, is also a guard proficient at handling the ball, passing, shooting. Guard stuff. Toronto is stocked with skilled players capable of playing with the speed and precision to make this system work.

“We can just go out there and just play basketball,” said Brittney Skyes, one half of the million-dollar backcourt, on media day. “We don’t have to think about nothing else. We read the defence, and I like that for us. It’s not much thinking, we’re literally responding to what it is that the defence is giving us.”

Skyes, usually referred to as “Slim,” also later lamented the team’s struggles with turnovers during the preseason.

“I mean, shit, yeah, turnovers,” Slim said to reporters. “I think we’re just trying to get that consistent flow, not be so stagnant. We’re all new. We’re all still trying to figure each other out offensively and defensively.”

Growing pains.

Key word there is growing. Adjustments will undoubtedly come as the season rolls on and this group discovers more about themselves. That’s the beauty of basketball. The incremental progress. Winning each possession. Each moment. And when you lose, figuring out why and finding a solution.

“Important for us as we continue to learn more about this team is putting them in situations that they can have success,” said Brondello. “I’m sure our style, as we get to know them even more, will probably evolve, and adapt, and be flexible.”

The post What brand of basketball to expect from the Toronto Tempo first appeared on Raptors Republic.

For the Raptors, who gained so much insight into the rest of their young core over seven playoff games, seeing Quickley in that environment would’ve taught them a lot more about what they have in their present and (as things stand) future starting point guard. For Quickley, it would’ve been a chance to prove that his struggles in previous postseasons have no bearing on the player he is today, now that he’s honed the type of skills that could’ve given him more answers to playoff defences. 

Unfortunately, the carryover of those skills remains theoretical, and the playoff-specific questions will linger until this version of Quickley appears in the games that matter most. But after a strong season that ended with him watching helplessly from the sidelines, it’s worth shining a light on the subtle but meaningful strides he made on the court, specifically toward being a more well-rounded scorer.

When the Raptors made Quickley the centrepiece of their trade return for homegrown stalwart OG Anunoby midway through the 2023-24 season, his long-range shooting ability was clearly the biggest selling point. As the front office looked to retool around Scottie Barnes, it was obvious that the team needed a major injection of both proficiency and volume from beyond the arc. And on that score, Quickley very much delivered in his first season-and-a-half as a Raptor, shooting 38.7 percent from deep on 8.2 attempts per 36 minutes. 

At the same time, as he adjusted to life as a lead guard for the first time in his pro career, he encountered challenges in other aspects of his offence. Tasked with making more decisions from the middle of the floor than ever before, he struggled to maintain a live dribble in tight spaces, to find the balance between scoring and playmaking, to decide when to rely on his floater and when to keep probing. All of which contributed to him shooting just 45.5 percent inside the arc across those first two partial Raptors campaigns, as his previously dependable in-between game went adrift. 

For as vital as his 3-point shooting was, in order to succeed in his new role and reward the faith the front office showed him with a lucrative five-year extension, Quickley knew he needed to improve as a 2-point scorer. With the Raptors signaling a desire to turn a corner and be competitive, the 2025-26 season was going to be an important proving ground for the 26-year-old. So, after a difficult 2024-25 campaign in which injuries and tanking incentives limited him to 33 games, he got to work. 

While some of the challenges of lead-guard life persisted this season, Quickley’s offseason efforts paid off in at least one very important area: he raised his 2-point percentage to a near-career-best 52 (and had it above 53 percent before a bout of plantar fasciitis sapped some of his effectiveness down the stretch). In the end, he fell 0.1 percentage points short of his high-water mark from 2022-23, but still blew away his career average.

Gains like that don’t tend to happen by accident. 

“I wanna give a shoutout to my guy David Lam,” Quickley said when I asked him about that improvement, citing his longtime skills trainer. “That was one of our main focuses when he was working with me this summer.” 

Lam is based in New Jersey and has been working with Quickley on and off since the latter’s time with the Knicks. He keeps close tabs on his client and occasionally sends him film during the season, but the real hands-on work happens in the offseason. So when he and Quickley linked up last summer, they knuckled down and collaborated on a plan to get him more comfortable and dynamic inside the arc.

“Looking at the stats, first and foremost, we were kind of targeting that — trying to get that 2-point field-goal percentage up closer to 50,” Lam told me. “Then, poring into his film, diving into some of the shots he was taking, some of the opportunities he was getting, we were really trying to read between the lines and see what opportunities were there that he could be more efficient in. I think the big thing was his shot selection, and just being more patient off of two feet. Which, credit to him, he was very self-aware of to begin with.”

Lam came armed with reams of film for Quickley to study and try to emulate, showing how similarly sized guards like Payton Pritchard and Jalen Brunson master the middle of the floor by doing exactly that: being patient and playing off of two feet. 

“The overall premise was just to get him a little bit more poised, rather than picking the ball up early and getting into tough positions sometimes,” Lam said. “So, that was the first thing, just trying to improve the decision-making. To go along with that, a lot of the focus was on using extra dribbles to initiate bumps. To be able to, one, create a little bit more separation for himself, and two, give himself time — with those extra dribbles and the extra separation — to make more reads.” 

They applied the lessons from the film room to the gym, working through extensive drills before scaling up to live action in pickup games, “where he could feel these things out and see how they worked for him,” Lam said.  

They worked pretty well, as it turned out. We saw the practical application of that skill development over the course of the season, as Quickley worked in more jump-stops, pivots, up-fakes, spin-fades, and step-throughs. 

Relevantly, his accuracy when shooting out of drives was the highest it has been during his time as a Raptor. 

“I definitely think there’s more of an intention now to play off of two feet and initiate contact, especially as he gets below the free-throw line and into those areas where, previously, it might’ve been a little bit rushed,” Lam said of how this year’s Quickley differed from previous versions. “It’s just proof that he’s really maturing as a player.” 

While those tweaks helped Quickley improve as a finisher at the basket, he still struggled to get all the way there, ranking in the 23rd percentile among point guards in rim frequency. But he made up for it with a significant leap in his efficiency on non-rim twos, going from 38 percent in his first two Raptors campaigns to 47 percent this season. For Quickley, the most important part of that shift was focusing on balance, which meant turning some of his one-footed runners into two-footed jumpers. 

“A lot of it was just us watching film and (seeing that), even though my runner and floater game is really good, a lot of them were off-balance,” he explained. “And just being able to, sometimes, even take little mid-range jump shots — I’m a good shooter, so that can help me be on balance a little bit more. I think that’s something a lot of the 6-foot-4/6-foot-3 guards do really well, just being able to score in the short mid-range area.” 

Quickley took more pull-up twos in 2025-26 than he had in any other season, and more importantly, hit a higher share of them than ever before: 46 percent, compared to 39 percent for his career coming in, per NBA Advanced Stats. 

The fruits of his labour were also evident to head coach Darko Rajakovic, who reinforced Quickley’s observations while further noting his improved pick-and-roll synergy with Jakob Poeltl. 

“He’s scoring much more off of two feet, which allows him to be better balanced, and to find better looks,” Rajakovic told me. “And also working together with Jak, they have very good chemistry playing off of each other. Jak does a really good job oftentimes of keeping the rim protector away from him, which allows him to get to his zone and knock down those shots.”  

The heightened understanding of how to use Poeltl’s screening was probably the easiest change to spot in Quickley’s game. Especially when it came to keeping his dribble alive long enough to cross back and let Poeltl (or another screener, like Collin Murray-Boyles) seal his own guy with a Gortat screen. This is what Rajakovic was referring to: 

That newfound patience was reflected in the numbers. Quickley had by far his most efficient pick-and-roll scoring season as a Raptor, averaging just over a point per possession (86th percentile leaguewide) despite the fact that he had a major down year as a pull-up 3-point shooter (27.5 percent, compared to 35.6 percent for his career and 38 percent in his previous two seasons). In other words, his success as a pick-and-roll ball-handler was entirely driven by what he did inside the arc. 

Again, it’s a real shame that he didn’t get a chance to showcase what his refined skillset could look like in a playoff setting, where those in-between shots become even more resilient. But looking ahead, this is cause for optimism. Pair Quickley’s improved 2-point finishing with pull-up 3-point shooting that’s more in line with his abilities and career norms, and we could be talking about one of the more dangerous pick-and-roll scorers in the league. Which is particularly salient for a Raptors team that ranked second-last in both volume and efficiency of possessions finished by pick-and-roll ball-handlers in the playoffs.  

And while specific statistical jumps like the one Quickley made this year can turn out to be outliers, the habits and targeted work that made it possible in this case should offer hope — not only that he can sustain those improvements, but that there’s still another level for him to reach. Because going through his film, as much as you see the areas where he’s improved, you also see ways in which his shot diet can be even more efficient. And to hear it from the guy who trains him in the summers, Quickley himself will understand that better than anyone.  

“He’s a special player in the sense of, obviously the work ethic, but I think beyond that, how attentive he is to things,” Lam said. “He’s a smart dude, and to go along with that he’s very self-aware. He’s not just going to get in the gym and just do whatever. When you have a player like him who’s talented and self-aware and willing to put the work in, it makes my job a lot easier.” 

The post How Immanuel Quickley found balance first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The Toronto Raptors learned a lot this season. But with all of that knowledge, they’ll have to answer some questions, and quickly.

Here is my full breakdown of the 5 things they must figure out this summer:

I would highly recommend reading Ian Finlayson’s piece on the Raptors salary cap situation heading into the summer to familiarize yourself with what is and isn’t possible.

Here’s a little excerpt:

Toronto is one of only six teams that are in full control of all of their first round picks (Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons – however there are many other teams with a treasure trove of firsts via other teams including the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz).

When it comes to their cap and tax situation, the Raptors finished $688,734 under the tax and $2,372,662 under the first apron this past season. They after ducked under the tax by trading Ochai Agbaji to the Brooklyn Nets before the trade deadline.

Now, heading into the offseason, they project to be $7,940,004 under the tax and $9,341,795 under the apron. But there are also a number of caveats attached to those numbers, including the player option of Sandro Mamukelashvili that is likely to be declined, the team options on Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo and Trayce-Jackson Davis (they must decide on these options by June 27-29) and the incoming cap hit of their upcoming 19th-overall pick.

Lets examine where Raptors are at financially and what options that leaves available for them when it comes to team building this summer.

The post Five questions the Raptors must answer this offseason first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Forever and for always, fans will partake in an infinite swirl of opinions and arguments and speculation. Why wouldn’t we? We have nothing else to go on but our beliefs.

That said, when we do get that very rare opportunity to actually hear the thoughts and reflections straight from the decision-maker’s mouth, we must listen. Anddddd, then get back to the complaining and commanding and arguing.

Below are a few of the highlights from Bobby Webster’s thoughts on the season past and intentions for what’s to come.

With translation for clarity.

On this season’s expectations:

“A step in the right direction. Doesn’t mean that the next step or the next few steps aren’t going to be even harder. And, I think that was a lot of our messaging the next couple of days to the team…both things can be true: you can sort of be proud of what you did, but also have a hunger and grit this summer to advance beyond that or do more than you did this year.

And so, from a pre-season there’s always that internal expectation to get to the Playoffs and the players were all for leading that and that was a belief they had. And once we got there, the circumstances of the season, some injuries, but I think the fight and grit was representative of that group and this season.”

Translation:

Let’s not rejoice to the Gods with such revelry for merely a Round 1 exit; buttttt, also, fuck everyone because let’s be honest, but for a few pundits [shoutout Michael Pina from the The Ringer], most considered us a plummeting submarine heading to imminent implosion. Suck it.

On how to evaluate this team based on the Regular Season versus the Playoffs:

“I’m not going to over index the Playoffs. It’s very important to see the young players in roles they might not have gotten. That was more illustrative for us. Typically, you don’t get to see first- and second-year players play that many minutes in those types of roles.

We looked at it, we were the youngest team in the Playoffs this season. That speaks to the growth and trajectory of this group can go. We’re excited about it; we’re also not going to sort of say ‘wow, those seven games spoke volumes about the next 3 or 4 years.'”

Translation:

Okay, cool, fun times. But all those guys I paid lots of money to reallly get us where we want to go, weren’t totally, entirely, the ones who did. Sooooo…[Bobby trails off and looks wistfully into a distant alternative future where $110 million is not owed to three guys that did not play or did not play well in the Playoffs.]

On RJ Barrett in the Playoffs and future contract discussions:

“You always knew he was going to play a big, physical style of basketball and that was on full display. Him getting to the paint, getting to the rim. So, ya, I’d say he had a little bit of a tough stretch going through injuries, but he got back to full health and you saw that on full display in the Playoffs.

We’re keeping those conversations [contractual ones] private. I spoke to him at the end of the season. He’s under contract next season and that conversation can be at the end of next season.”

Translation:

Thank God, RJ balled out. Because down in Neeyew Yowk, Owh Jee Anunobee is balling the fuck out while IQ can’t even stay on the floor. It was all starting to look like a total dumpsta fyah. Especially, with RJ regressing to his inefficient self of old. Hooping against primed Playoff defences as a secondary option is a Goddamn blessing for this team and my [Bobby, if you haven’t caught the drift yet] career.

On Scottie Barnes in the Playoffs and building the team around him moving forward:

“We’ve been having this conversation for five years with Scottie [annoyed smirk by Bobby for the question]. Even back to his rookie year, there’s moments where he’s on the ball and orchestrating and directing traffic; he affects the game hugely on the offensive end.

And, there’s probably not one answer to what the final product or version of Scottie, but what you saw was playing with force on both ends. That’s our push for him over the course of 82 games. It’ll be this summer; it’ll be this pre-season. But really playing with that level of force and engagement for the whole season.

Translation:

Is Scottie here? Scottie!? Scottieee!? Are you watching this? That. That was what we’ve been talking to you about every year since you’ve been here. That’s what we’ve been saying. That level of intensity. That seizing of responsibility. That physicality. That meanness. That aggression. That leadership. We want that. ALL. THE. TIME. Please and thank you.

On the team’s Financials and Ownership’s willingness to spend cashola:

“It’s been the same here. We timed it perfect when we won the Title and went into the Tax. But there’s always been that notion, which is: when the time is right, come ask and we will deliver.

But going into this season we realized, this might not be the championship-contending team, so we held off. But going forward, I think it will be a bit more on how does this group grow but also what moves we make over this summer. But we have full support and whenever the time is right, we’ll be ready.”

Translation:

I hate you for asking this. My team is owned by a bunch of soulless, corporatized, profitmaxxing succubusses. Or succubi? Is that Latin or Greek? Or, maybe, it’s Germanic?

Anyway, I don’t know what you want me to say. I dunno, it depends? Is the Strait of Hormuz still open? Cause if not, I feel like, I’m probably going get Tom Dundoned here soon and have to layoff miniature Raptor, or maybe, they’re going to pull a Maple Leafs and hire Vince Carter and Bryan Colangelo to replace me. TBD.

On what this team needs to take that next step:

“Our philosophy here has always been getting two-way players. I said this summer, we’re in talent acquisition. We still need more better players. There will be a time where it feels like, okay, this specific piece will put us over the top. But no, I think this summer will, whether it’s the draft, free agency, or trades, we’ll just be looking at the best two-way players available.”

Translation

If you expected any modicum of spacing or shooting for this team…THINK AGAIN. WE HAVE A PHILOSOPHY. OKAYYY?

What made you think that whoever we draft or sign next will be any different than Stanley Johnson or Pascal Siakam or Bruno Cabocolo or Patrick McCaw or CMB or *insert basically anyone the Raptors have ever acquired here*? If their arms aren’t the span of Doug Ford’s belt [no, not the Green one he stole, the one holding up his pants], then they won’t play here, got it?

On evaluating Jakob Pöltl’s season and the logic on extending him:

“Coming off last year, he had a career year, one of his best years. Really, I think what happened, he got a little bit behind the 8-ball in training camp with his back. Going into the preseason it was already bothering him then. So that didn’t allow him to prepare for the season. But at the same time, I think down the stretch there’s going to be some recency bias, but I think of some of the big games down the stretch against Detroit and Denver…so…

With Jakob, he’s high IQ, high instincts. People know when he’s at his best what he means to this team. Whether it’s walking him on the court or even analytically. But know the message to him was, he needs to get healthy and get back to the Jakob that we know. And we think he’s embracing that challenge. And, we’ll be on him this summer.”

Translation

He’s a Top-15 centre when healthy. He DAMN WELL GET HEALTHY…

On the young guys and evaluating the depth of this team:

“In some ways, yes, [a question on if their success affects offseason decision-making], in other ways, contracts dictate when you make decisions and all those guys are under contract. And, so, there’s a natural growth and development we’ll get to see next year. You’re sort of taking notes and filing it away what some of these guys were able to do in the Playoffs. But we have 12 guys under contract going into next season so…

Really, you’re looking at two approaches which is: do you let it organically grow, did you see enough this year that this group can continue? Or, what I talked about at the trade deadline, when you start to cash in your chips, when you start to consolidate? We have all our first round picks, we have future flexibility, we’re under the tax. A few years we’re really far under the tax. The question will be when those opportunities come around where the price is right and it also fits from a basketball stand point, but also culturally.

That was really unique about this team, they played for each other. They’ve all grown up with us. I always say the telling points of this season were when our backs were against the wall. Whether it was early in the season when we were 1-4. The Houston/New Orleans road trip. We bounced back from those. The Orlando game was big. Those two Miami games. When we were down 2-0. That was a testament to the character of this group.

Translation

Man, what a good problem to have. So, many young, gritty, fun prospects. They’re so goddamn lovable and have so much potential. And, Man, their new gleam shines so bright anyone trying to figure out where Gradey Dick or Jonathan Mogbo or Ron Harper Jr. or Dalano Banton or Christian Koloko are, can’t see shit. Phew.

On Brandon Ingram’s fit and if he is a long-term fit:

“Return to health was a big one. That was a big check. He got back to his All-Star form…By all accounts Brandon fit in him. This is a time for him to continue to improve: shooting, get bigger, get stronger. But, ya, I think have two All-Stars in Brandon and Scottie, it was a great season.

Translation:

Dude’s talented as Hell. And BIG UPs to him being healthy. But he’s got a wayssss to go to prove that I shouldn’t ship him at the first sign of a net-positive return.

On Gradey Dick’s role and his struggles:

“Gradey was good. The conversations throughout the year, he knew what was going on. He was good coming out of training camp and preseason. It’s natural for a player to have ups and downs over the course of their season, especially, for someone at age 22. But talking to him last couple of days, he’s motivated by this. He’s using this as motivation to get better this summer. And, fully expect a great summer from Gradey.

I thought he had a good second year. He had a development with us. He played 76 games this year. It might be a bit more recency bias. What we’ve seen in the Playoffs and heard Darko say: that level of defensive intensity and focus was on full display in the Playoffs and we’ve seen that with a number of players who have come through here and through our number of Playoff runs. I would say that’s the one, he’s gotta be able to defend when he’s on the court.”

Translation:

Big year for, ya, Bucko.

On areas of improvement:

“We were a Top 5 defence and, probably, an average offence. In this league, you need to be a Top 10 in both to be a contender and Top 5 in both to be a real contender. The challenge is how do you improve one with out taking away from the other. That is probably the big picture as opposed to specific skillsets.

The foundation of this team is on defence. You play if you play defence. Darko set that in very early. And, so that was on display. At the same time, the reality of the NBA is that having a good offence and defence is what succeeds.

There’s a lot more of iterations to go. We’ve had a lot of stings in the past. I don’t get too caught up on what is the team look like from a year from now or two years from now. We need to incrementally get better. We need to win all of our trades. We need to pick the right player. Getting caught up in ‘what the final team is’ isn’t super helpful.”

Translation:

I wonder if Masai still loves Brandon Ingram as much as he said he did before he deserted me?

On building around Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles:

“Clearly, the defensive ability of those two is special. Whether it’s switching or them being disruptive and guarding multiple positions, what do you surround that with? You could surround it with more defence. You could put more elite defenders around that and figure out the offensive end. But I think we’re gonna focus on the strength of those two. Which is a defensive pairing and how are you making that Top 5 defence into an even better defence.”

Translation:

Everyone else, better get to it!

On evaluating Darko Rajaković and contract extensions:

“Darko did a great job. The first two years we always said he’s a great communicator, great energy, great development. But 30 wins to 46 wins is a huge improvement. To make the adjustments in the Playoffs when some of our main guys were down. Darko had a great year.

No comment on financial situations here…

Translation:

Why the fuck do I get three questions every press conference about stuff I one-thousand percent cannot and will never disclose? Does my low-tenor-Dad’s-disappointed mumble and side-eye not clue them in?

On Sandro Mamukelashvili and how his skillset fits here:

“Very rarely does it fit like you play in the summer. And even from Darko’s perspective, whether it was from on the court or off the court, great personality, loved this city, he fit in really well here. We knew the financial realities of signing the contract, but that was sort of one of the reasons he picked us was because of the fit. Even thought it wasn’t as much money as other places. But no we’ve been looking for a stretch big for years and to see it with the bench but also with the starters was nice to see. And, this summer, we’ll talk to his reps and Mamu. He obviously wants to be here. There’s financial realities of the NBA but we’ll do everything we can to retain him.”

Translation:

But also, is he a two-way guy? Cause, like, he’s gotta be a two-way. I said it above. If they’re not a two-way, they’re not a Raptor. I didn’t say toupee, Mamu, I said two-way.

On the Draft:

“This was always going to be a good draft. We identified that a couple of years ago. At 19, we’ve had a pick in this range for a number of years. And it’s a testament to all the scouting we do this season. Guys are in the back watching film right now. We’re confident we’ll get a player at 19, but it’s too early to say these are the 5 or 6 guys we’re focused on.”

Translation:

If I stare straight forward and just think “two-way”, “two-way”, “two-way”, “two-way”, do you think they’ll quit asking me obvious answers I can’t disclose/they already know!?

On Masai Ujiri and Dallas Mavericks “trade chats”:

“We know all the players he likes, he knows all the players we like. It’s sometimes tough to do deals.”

Translation:

YOU’RE NOT MY FATHER.

On Trade Discussions and confidence on making a significant trade:

“Can you make a bigger step with one of those deals? We’re always going to be opportunistic in any trade market. It’s the reason why we’ve kept all of our first round picks. Financially we’re well-positioned to take on money if we have to. But it gets back to what the profile of this team is. So, if you want to double-down on defence or the offence needs help, it would have to materially move us ahead from a contender-standpoint.”

Translation:

Mostly just waitin’ for Jaylen Brown to demand a trade. T-Minus number of Twitch streams until Joe Mazulla knocks on his front door and lectures him about the self-entitlement of his younger generation [they’re the same generation, but not in Joe’s mind, they’re not] and challenges him to a seven-day hunger strike…

On Garrett Temple’s Free Agency:

“Garrett is probably one of the guys I talk most with. He’s similar age. He cares about the right things for the team. That’s great to have him. To see his relatioship with Scottie, but to see him with Collin, but you’ve probably watched, players are looking to him on the bench, players are talking to him at half-time. That’s invaluable. But there’s only 15 roster spots; he knows that. We’ve been fortunate to have one for him every year and we’d love to have him back, but we’ll have to see how summer plays out.”

Translation:

Time to put the suit on, [player development] Coach.

Full coverage here:

The post Highlights and Translations from the Bobby Webster Year-End Press Conference first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The Toronto Raptors enter the summer in a relatively desirable place in terms of their salary cap and asset situation, yet will still have to walk a razor’s edge in order to augment their roster. Such is life in the NBA’s cap environment.

They currently project to come in below the tax line and the first apron – there are 25 teams that line up to be outside of the aprons and 24 outside of the tax – and also own all of their own first-round picks going forward.

Toronto is one of only six teams that are in full control of all of their first round picks (Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons – however there are many other teams with a treasure trove of firsts via other teams including the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz).

When it comes to their cap and tax situation, the Raptors finished $688,734 under the tax and $2,372,662 under the first apron this past season. They after ducked under the tax by trading Ochai Agbaji to the Brooklyn Nets before the trade deadline.

Now, heading into the offseason, they project to be $7,940,004 under the tax and $9,341,795 under the apron. But there are also a number of caveats attached to those numbers, including the player option of Sandro Mamukelashvili that is likely to be declined, the team options on Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo and Trayce-Jackson Davis (they must decide on these options by June 27-29) and the incoming cap hit of their upcoming 19th-overall pick.

Lets examine where Raptors are at financially and what options that leaves available for them when it comes to team building this summer.

Probably the biggest question facing the Raptors’ offseason is are they able to swing a significant trade to jump from their current position as a lower-tier playoff team to a true contender.

Bobby Webster spoke to Toronto’s position in the trade market at his year-end press conference on Wednesday, specifically on the prospect of including draft capital to land a significant addition.

“‘Can you make a bigger step with one of those deals?’ We’re always going to be opportunistic in any trade market, it’s why we kept all of our first-round picks to have that,” Webster said. “I think financially we’re all well-positioned in the future to take on money if we have to.”

He also stated that ownership would be willing to back the team extending its salary into the luxury tax given the right opportunity.

“We timed it perfect when we won the title and went into the tax, but I think there’s always been that notion, which is when the time is right, that ‘come ask, and we’ll deliver,'” Webster said. “I think going into this season we realized this might not be the championship contending team … but we have full support and whenever the time is right, we’ll be ready.”

As far as expiring contracts and avenues for addition outside of trade are concerned this is what the Raptors are looking at:

Garrett Temple and AJ Lawson are both unrestricted free agents while Alijah Martin, Chucky Hepburn and Tyreke Key are all restricted free agents. All five players have cap holds ranging between $2.2-2.5 million. (This essentially acts as a placeholder that prevents teams from using room under the cap to sign free agents before using Bird rights to re-sign their own free agents.)

Meanwhile, they have plenty of exceptions available to them, including the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15 million) the biannual exception ($5.5 million) and a $6.4-million trade exception acquired via the Agbaji trade.

They also have five players eligible for extension: RJ Barrett (max of $186 million over four years), Jamal Shead, Trayce-Jackson Davis, Jonathan Mogbo and Gradey Dick.

Webster had this to say about the prospect of extending Barrett: “We’re going to keep all of those conversations private. I spoke to him throughout the season and at the end of the season. the good thing is he’s under contract, so that’s also something we can talk about at the end of next season.”

One last note; their tax and apron numbers are so close together despite the tax and initial apron threshold being $8 million apart due to the same reason we went over (along with local cap-ologist Blake Murphy) last offseason. There are “unlikely” incentives built into the contracts of Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl that count towards the cap/aprons but not the tax, unless of course the incentives are improbably earned.

It appears that the upcoming incentives come in at roughly $230,000 more than last season’s based on the information available at Spotrac. They had some of the details available this past season, but don’t so far this year, and I’m not going bug Blake while he’s on a well-deserved vacation, so we’ll ride with that number for now.

For what it’s worth, last season, Barrett had up to $3.4-million in incentives, divided evenly between making All-Star, All-NBA or All-Defence. Quickley and Poeltl’s were listed at $2.5 million and $500,000, respectively. The specifics weren’t publicly available but Murphy reported that Quickley’s were $500,000 each for an MVP, All-NBA, All-Star, third-round appearance, Finals appearance, or championship up to a maximum of $2.5 million. Poeltl’s were $250,000 each for making the second and third rounds. The playoff incentives included a requirement of 65 games played and 20 minutes per game, so even if the Raptors beat the Cavs and moved onto the second round, Poeltl would not have been eligible to cash in.

We can safely assume the incentives are roughly the same this season, although we’ll have to wait until further information comes out to confirm.

Alright, see you back here later in June for further analysis on the Raptors’ financial outlook when we know more heading into free agency.

The post Surveying the Raptors’ financials entering a crucial offseason first appeared on Raptors Republic.

‘Can you make a bigger step with one of those deals?’ We’re always going to be opportunistic in any trade market, it’s why we kept all of our first-round picks to have that. I think financially we’re all well-positioned in the future to take on money if we have to.” stated Bobby when asked about the possibility of an all-in trade including significant picks.

The Toronto Raptors were in numerous trade rumors during this season, and they were attached to plenty of star players such as Domantas Sabonis and Anthony Davis. They wound up not pulling the trigger on any of these trades, and they kept all their assets while doing so. As Webster stated, they do have all of their first-round picks, as well as a few player assets that could feasibly go in a deal as well.

Every season in the NBA there is a new star that becomes available, and Toronto is usually in the mix when these situations happen. They also have some expiring deals coming up, which are perfect to send out in potential star trade scenarios. Webster didn’t fully commit to saying that Toronto is looking to trade for a star in an “all-in” type of move, but he did leave the door open for Toronto to potentially pursue one.

The post “We’re always going to be opportunistic in any trade market” Bobby Webster on a potential big trade first appeared on Raptors Republic.