Toronto Raptors Articles - Page 89

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard has finally addressed the rumors that he misled the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors during free agency. Leonard said that he took his sweet little time in coming up with a decision, adding that it was the media’s fault that made it seem he did the Lakers […]

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet admits he thought Kawhi Leonard would stay after their successful championship run last season. Leonard chose to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason, joining Paul George to form another superstar duo in Tinseltown. VanVleet, however, said that the Raptors did everything they can to make Leonard feel that […]

Kawhi Leonard may have been the most outstanding player of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, but backup point guard Fred VanVleet was one of the unsung heroes of the Toronto Raptors during their championship run. After struggling to see the floor and make a tangible impact in the first 15 games of the postseason, VanVleet found […]

Two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard says he “was very close” to signing with the Toronto Raptors or Los Angeles Lakers this summer, but the opportunity to play with Paul George on the Los Angeles Clippers sealed the deal for him to come to the Clips. Leonard signed a three-year deal with the Clippers. Kawhi on […]

Last season, the Toronto Raptors started their march to the championship as relative underdogs. Even after adding Kawhi Leonard, more established teams like the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks all started with better odds than the Raptors to win it all. In the end, Toronto outlasted all competitors and shocked […]

In his first comments since leaving the Toronto Raptors and signing with the Los Angeles Clippers, Kawhi Leonard has thanked the Raptors and the city of Toronto. Leonard says the Raptors’ championship parade was the best parade ever: Kawhi Leonard – "I want to think the Toronto #Raptors fans. I don't have social media so […]

Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry is expected to be recovered enough from thumb surgery to participate in the upcoming USA Basketball training camp ahead of the FIBA World Cup: Sources: Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love is expected to withdraw from Team USA's training camp for World Cup. Toronto Raptors All-Star Kyle Lowry remains committed […]

Over the past couple of years, there have been several discussions about how “load management” is being used in the NBA. Most teams put their players under that tag if they want to rest them, but for others, it’s more than just that. Toronto Raptors assistant coach Alex McKechnie was a key player in developing […]

Marc Gasol says he wanted to stay with the Memphis Grizzlies, but is thankful the franchise ignored his request and traded him to the Toronto Raptors. Gasol won his first championship, as the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals in six games. “There have been few players that haven’t been […]

The power forward position has seen a rejuvenation in talent over the last few years. Once perhaps the weakest spot in the NBA, it has climbed from there, and it may be third behind both the point guard and small forward position. Here are the top five power forwards in the league. 5. Pascal Siakam […]

The LA Clippers pulled out all the stops to bring in prized free agent Kawhi Leonard. They succeeded, getting the reigning Finals MVP to buy into their vision as he heads to an all-important phase in his career. According to a special insider report by The Athletic, LA had a masterful pitch for Leonard in […]

The entire NBA world had waited nearly seven long days on Kawhi Leonard’s decision earlier this July. His decision came down to both his hometown Los Angeles squads, the Lakers and the Clippers, and the team he just won a championship with, the Toronto Raptors. Leonard was very careful making his decision, placing the entire […]

The Toronto Raptors have lost two key players from last season’s championship roster. Kawhi Leonard joined the Los Angeles Clippers while Danny Green signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. They will be heading into next season with a lot of uncertainty, and most people are wondering if they can even make the playoffs. Losing Leonard […]

Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has hired Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports as his new agent. Lowry has one year left on his contract with the Raptors. The All-Star guard will make $33.3 million in 2019-20 and become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020: Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry, who […]

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says he has heard from people around the NBA that Kawhi Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, was asking potential suitors in free agency for “houses, planes, sponsorship, guaranteed sponsorship money” as perks. Leonard signed a three-year, $103.14 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Both the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers […]

FS1 commentator Skip Bayless shared a short story of meeting Kawhi Leonard’s infamous Uncle Dennis at the WBA welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman. While Pacquiao won a split decision against Thurman, Bayless, sitting ringside, was approached by Leonard’s relative. “His name is Kawhi Leonard,” Dennis told Bayless at the fight, referring […]

The Toronto Raptors have signed Oshae Brissett to an Exhibit 10 deal, per Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Raptors have signed Oshae Brissett to an Exhibit 10 deal (camp invite and chance to make team, and a bonus if waived and spends enough time with 905). Roster stands full at 20 for the time being. […]

The Toronto Raptors won their first-ever NBA championship last season and what made it more impressive was the fact that they did it against the three-peat seeking Golden State Warriors. The Raptors beat the Dubs in six games, behind the historic performance of Kawhi Leonard. However, Danny Green, who played a key role in Toronto’s […]

The Indiana Pacers, as far as we know, aren’t currently conducting auditions or taking applications for the position of global ambassador. If they ever feel compelled to help market the team with a Drake-style celebrity super fan, though, it’s pretty clear who the Pacers should choose. Award-winning actor Jessie Eisenberg, most notably of The Social […]

When the Toronto Raptors decided to sign forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to a one-year deal, it was initially be reported that he will earn the minimum salary. Apparently, it’s not the case now as it’s being reported that he will earn $2.5 million next season. https://twitter.com/jgsiegel/status/1152335992675655680 With RHJ getting more than the minimum, he will now […]

Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol had encouraging words for Nick Nurse and the Canadian team and their bright future on Friday. The Spanish center spoke on his coach’s talent and how he thought it would lead to success in the FIBA tournament. “It’s going to be a very exciting tournament for them as they are […]

Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol knows that he has little to no break from basketball. Roughly two months after helping his team win their first-ever NBA championship, the seven-foot Spaniard is now part of the Spanish national basketball team that will compete in China for the FIBA World Cup. And Gasol plans to ride on […]

New Toronto Raptors free agent signee Rondae Hollis-Jefferson thought the Canadian franchise would draft him 20th overall in 2015, per a TSN radio interview on Thursday. Hollis-Jefferson said he thought the Raptors might draft him with their 20th pick in 2015 (they took Delon Wright instead and Rondae went 23rd to Portland). He's happy to […]

Per Eurohoops publishing manager Varlas Nikos, the Toronto Raptors have shown interest in claiming the recently waived Kostas Antetokounmpo off waivers: Sources telling @Eurohoopsnet that the NBA champions Toronto Raptors are planning to claim Kostas Antetokounmpo off waivers — Nikos Varlas (@VarlasOCT) July 19, 2019 Antetokounmpo was just waived by the Dallas Mavericks. In Dallas, […]

The word has been that the NBA Eastern Conference is still lagging behind the West in terms of championship-caliber teams. That may be true, but the race in the East will be just as intense as it is on the West. The West will either have to go through Houston, Los Angeles, Denver or Portland […]

Kawhi Leonard’s tenure in Toronto came to an abrupt end when the two-time NBA Finals MVP defected to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Raptors need a new player to spearhead the franchise. The defending champion Raptors are counting on Pascal Siakam, the league’s Most Improved Player of the 2018-19 season, to become the centerpiece of […]

Toronto Raptors star point guard Kyle Lowry underwent left thumb surgery to repair a tendon injury, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Lowry played through the injury throughout much of the playoffs, including the NBA Finals. Lowry is hoping to be ready for USA Basketball training camp in August, with the FIBA World Cup coming right after […]

The Toronto Raptors will have huge adjustments to make in the 2019-20 season following the departure of Kawhi Leonard, but head coach Nick Nurse already has a plan in mind. Nurse said that the Raptors will be relying on ball movement, which was a key factor during their title run last season. The second-year head […]

Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter plans to meet with U.S. Senator Ed Markey to find a solution for traveling to Toronto next season so he can play against the Raptors in Canada when the Celtics go up there. Kanter’s passport is currently suspended by Turkey for his criticism of the government. Enes Kanter, whose […]

Free agent guard Cameron Payne has agreed to a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Raptors had a need for depth to bolster the point guard position with Kyle Lowry heading into next season as the starter and Fred VanVleet as his direct backup. Payne, who was […]

Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam had little to say about former teammate Kawhi Leonard and his departure from the Toronto Raptors after one year of service, instead claiming his team is still the defending champions, living up every ounce of glory through the course of this summer: “We’re still the champs right now, so I’m […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors are reportedly interested in signing Croatian forward Dragan Bender, according to reports. As Dragan Bender continues to explore the NBA market, Cleveland and Toronto are among the teams that have inquired, I've been told, European market remains an option for the Croatian forward. CSKA Moscow and Fenerbache are […]

The 2019 NBA Summer League is just about over, and while some players failed to make much of an impact, others took advantage of the opportunity and put themselves on NBA teams’ radars. Here are the five biggest standouts from the 2019 Summer League. 5. Chris Boucher, Toronto Raptors Boucher has been a reserve on […]

Free agent big man Kosta Koufos is receiving interest from the Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, and Milwaukee Bucks: Free agent big man Kosta Koufos has received preliminary interest from Detroit, Sacramento, Toronto and Milwaukee, league sources tell Yahoo Sports. The veteran, noted for his defense and rim protection, could be a later signing. […]

The Toronto Raptors have gone from being NBA champions to a fringe playoff team in the blink of an eye. After losing Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, the Raptors can pretty much kiss their championship hopes goodbye going into the 2019-20 campaign, and now, they are left with some major […]

Toronto native RJ Barrett grew up rooting for the Toronto Raptors, but the New York Knicks rookie had a rather surprising answer about Kawhi Leonard’s departure. Leonard led the Raptors to their first-ever NBA title this past 2018-19 season, but the three-time All-Star decided to leave Canada and move back to his hometown to join […]

RJ Barrett was born and raised in Toronto, and you can bet the New York Knicks rookie was excited about the Toronto Raptors winning the NBA Championship for the first time in franchise history. “It was great man. I was excited,” Barrett told the media in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he and the Knicks are […]

The dog days of summer can even affect NBA reporters. At Summer League in Las Vegas on Friday, a Toronto Raptors reporter mixed up Stanley Johnson and Patrick McCaw while speaking to Johnson. A Toronto reporter mixed up Stanley Johnson and Patrick McCaw (McCaw won 3 consecutive championships, two with Golden State and one with […]

The 2018-19 NBA season was a story of redemption for Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, though it hardly started out that way. Fresh off yet another defeat at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 playoffs, Lowry had to endure a full offseason of scrutiny with respect to his […]