The Toronto Raptors’ offseason has started a bit earlier than their supporters will like but frankly, they shouldn’t kick themselves while they’re down.
Their playoff-clinching 46 wins in 2025-26 were the most that they’ve had since 2021-22, back when Pascal Siakam (now with the Indiana Pacers) was still the face of the franchise. Ultimately, it was a successful campaign for the four-headed Raptors, who saw Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley each average over 15 points per game. The regular season actually went so well that Toronto ended up with two All-Stars in Ingram and Barnes. That’s a feat that they hadn’t achieved since Siakam and Kyle Lowry were named All-Stars in 2019-20.
What Should The Raptors Do In The 2026 Offseason?
All of that aside, teams can’t win championships off of almost being good enough. Though the Raptors are heading in the right direction, they need to make the right decisions this summer in order to keep their momentum. In fact, they’re actually in a position to take a major leap forward should the opportunity arise. More on that later.
2026 NBA Draft
Under former president Masai Ujiri, who’s taking the throne in Dallas, the Raptors had excelled in the scouting department. There were whiffs. For example, they drafted Bruno Caboclo (20th overall), DeAndre Daniels (37th overall) and Xavier Thames (59th overall) in 2014. That trio has played a total of 113 minutes for Toronto combined, with all of them coming from Caboclo.
However, Ujiri is also responsible for selecting former and current core players like Barnes (2021 No. 4 pick), Siakam (2016 No. 27 pick), OG Anunoby (2017 No. 23 pick), and Jakob Poeltl (2016 No. 9 pick). Another one of his draft choices was Ja’Kobe Walter (2014 No. 19 pick), who just posted multiple 20+ games in his first postseason. Fired just two days after the 2025 NBA Draft, his last rookie class was headlined by Collin Murray-Boyles (9th overall), who’s already established himself in the Raptors’ rotation.
It’s now team general manager Bobby Webster’s eye that has to be trusted.
Draft Night Trade Scenario
Toronto is poised to have the 19th and 50th overall picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. Considering the concerns they have at center, namely Poeltl’s health and Sandro Mamukelashvili‘s impending free agency, it wouldn’t come as a shock if they focused on a big man prospect with either of those selections. Between the way the game is played and their pre-trade deadline interest in Jaren Jackson Jr. (Utah Jazz) and Anthony Davis (Washington Wizards), the centers they’d focus on would have a combination of mobility, rim-protection and floor-spacing ability.
Another area that the Raptors are likely to focus on is off-ball shooting. With 2023 No. 13 pick Gradey Dick underwhelming and open to a trade (h/t Sportsnet’s Michael Grange), a draft night move involving the Kansas product is one to look out for. Jamal Shead, whose inefficiency has only been overshadowed by New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray standing over and disrespecting him, could also be on the way out.
Looking at this year’s prospective draft class, the players that align most with Toronto’s needs are (in alphabetical order): Jaden Bradley, Chris Cenac Jr., Isaiah Evans, Yaxel Lendeborg, Richie Saunders, Hannes Steinbach, Tyler Tanner, Meleek Thomas, and Bruce Thornton. In terms of moving the needle, selecting one of the big men would be best, as they have the easiest pathway to a starting spot. Keep in mind, the concerns about floor-spacing are why there’s been so much discussion about the Raptors’ shooting from the wing. A stretch-five could also mitigate those concerns, and arguably more so.
However, none of the aforementioned bigs are likely to be available in the late second round. Therefore, the best move could be to consolidate the No. 19 and No. 50 picks, trading them with Dick to a team in or near the back half of the lottery. In Cenac, Toronto gets the center prospect with the best combination of youth, size, mobility and skill. His intangibles, praised by Houston Cougars men’s basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson, will also get their attention.
Free Agency
This offseason, only two of the Raptors’ players (sans their two-way signings) are guaranteed to be free agent: Garrett Temple and A.J. Lawson.
Temple will turn 40 on May 8. Playing under 30 games and 300 minutes in each of the last four seasons, he’s one foot away from retirement. Promoted from a two-way contract on April 11, Lawson averaged 4.2 points per game on 42.2% shooting from 3 in 2025-26. Last season, the 25-year-old actually averaged more than twice as many points (9.1) but shot a paltry 32.7% from 3. Ultimately, he’s had enough of an impact to justify him being re-signed as an end-of-bench player but not for him to be prioritized.
A more pressing concern for Toronto is Mamukelashvili’s $2.8 million player option for the 2026-27 season. He did seem to truly enjoy his time with the Raptors, which bodes well for their ability to retain him. However, he played well enough in the regular season to justify an augmented salary, perhaps even a significant raise. If Toronto is unwilling to pony up the cash, using either the bi-annual exception ($5.5m) or non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15.5m), the 26-year-old’s time up north may be cut short.
Team Options
This offseason, the Raptors will also have five team options to decide on: Dick ($7.1m), Walter ($3.8m), Shead ($2.3m), Trayce Jackson-Davis ($2.4m) and Jonathan Mogbo ($2.3m). They effectively have a team option for Jamison Battle as well, as his $2.3 million salary for 2026-27 only becomes guaranteed if he remains on the roster through June 30.
Neither Dick nor Walter has likely truly played as well as Toronto hoped. Nonetheless, it’s difficult to see them straight-up waiving either of them, especially as they’re not in danger of being over either the first or second apron. It’s far more logical for them to be used as trade fodder than cap casualties based on their pre-draft hype.
Mogbo and Battle, and particularly the latter, are players that the Raptors may be more inclined to hold onto as well. Mogbo got off to a hot start in his rookie season, playing a dynamic role as a hybrid big man. Notably, he’s the player most similar to Murray-Boyles in terms of his talent and tools. Battle has made over 40 percent of his 3s after 120 games.
Shead, a solid facilitator and defender, has a fan in Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. That, combined with an affordable salary, could keep him north of the border. All the same, he’s now shooting 38.6% from the field and 32.2% from 3 for his career. So, even if he does return, he could be replaced as Immanuel Quickley‘s backup.
Who To Sign
Refining their perimeter rotation is of real importance. Behind Quickley, the Raptors need a guard who can score with greater volume and efficiency than Shead. Even if Walter and Battle became Barrett and Ingram’s primary backups, Toronto would be best served by adding a proven outside shooter to their wing rotation.
So, ideally, Mamukelashvili will be back, even if Toronto has to dig deeper in their pockets. However, they need to keep their non-taxpayer mid-level exception untouched so that they can sign one of Anfernee Simons, Coby White or Collin Sexton. Notably, the Raptors were among the teams monitoring Sexton ahead of the 2025-26 trade deadline.
Though it’s possible they’d only have enough to hand out veteran’s minimum contracts afterwards, that’s not too problematic. Shooting is a premium skill but 3-point specialist Tim Hardaway Jr. signed a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets for the veteran’s minimum last summer. This offseason, Hardaway could head to Toronto for the same number. Landry Shamet, a career 38.6% 3-point shooter, may also be swayed by the veteran’s minimum.
Additional Moves
Following these moves, this is how the Raptors depth chart could look for the 2026-27 season:
Immanuel Quickley, Collin Sexton, Jamal Shead
RJ Barrett, Ja’Kobe Walter, Landry Shamet
Brandon Ingram, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jamison Battle
Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, Jonathan Mogbo
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Chris Cenac Jr., Jakob Poeltl
To be clear, this price of this depth chart will bring Toronto into the luxury tax they’ve been avoiding. However, it’s the most talented roster they’ll have had since their championship season. For ownership (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment), that could be enough of a reason to convince them to sign the check.
In this iteration of the Raptors’ roster, Poeltl’s contract will look even worse than it already does. However, if a team gets desperate for center help in 2026-27, they may call up Toronto about Poeltl. Trading him will still be difficult if he’s performing poorly and tricky if he’s doing well. However, the Raptors could leave something to the imagination by not playing Poeltl, the intrigue of him returning to his pre-injury form his spurring potential suitors into action.
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