Toronto Raptors

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson's first foray into free agency has come to an end after the veteran forward agreed to a deal with the Toronto Raptors.

Per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, the forward will sign a one-year deal to try to set himself up better for 2020.

Hollis-Jefferson became an unrestricted free agent when the Brooklyn Nets chose not to give him a qualifying offer. 

This summer wasn't a great time to be a mid-tier free agent hoping to secure a long-term deal with players like Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler and, even rehabbing a ruptured Achilles, Kevin Durant available on the open market. 

Hollis-Jefferson has made himself into a valuable NBA player thanks to his versatility. The 24-year-old is a limited offensive player because he can't shoot from three-point range (22.3 percent in his career). He often makes up for it by being a valuable defensive player who can guard multiple positions. 

The Raptors will need to have a strong core of shooters around Hollis-Jefferson on the court to fully maximize his value. He isn't going to dramatically alter their fortunes next season, but he adds quality depth to get through an 82-game regular season and can make a positive impact in limited use in a potential playoff series. 

Hollis-Jefferson gets to play for a team that will do everything in its power to take advantage of what he does well. His age also leaves open the possibility that there is more offensive upside for him so that he's not a liability on that side of the ball for the Raptors.

Even without Leonard and Danny Green, Toronto should still be dangerous next season and should especially be dominant on the defensive end once again in 2019-20.

Kawhi Leonard has made his decision, and details about his decision-making process continue to surface.

Saturday afternoon, the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur wrote about Leonard's exit from the Toronto Raptors. In his piece, Arthur outlined a bit about when the Raptors might have known that the NBA Finals MVP was not returning to the team he led to its first championship.

According to Arthur, "for the last two or three days, sources say the Raptors did not believe Kawhi was truly serious about returning to Toronto" (h/t ESPN's Ramona Shelburne).

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news overnight that Leonard had chosen to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Reportedly, the crucial piece that lured Leonard to the Clippers was the organization's ability to pull off a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire Paul George.

According to Wojnarowski, L.A. sent the Thunder four unprotected first-round picks, one first-round pick and two pick swaps as well as Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in exchange for George.

"Kawhi Leonard has been recruiting Paul George to find a way to get to the Clippers and LA pulled it off tonight: George goes to the Clippers with Leonard, and together they walk into Staples Center to go head-to-head with LeBron James and Anthony Davis," Wojnarowski added.

Kawhi Watch has been intense since free agency officially opened Sunday, and the notoriously quiet star managed to keep his plans completely under wraps until Saturday.

However, the widespread belief was that the 28-year-old's three finalists were the Clippers, Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers. As it turns out, his final destination hinged on a desire to team up with fellow L.A.-area native George.

Shelburne penned a deep-dive detailing Leonard's recruitment of George, which also disclosed Leonard was also trying to convince Kevin Durant to join him on the Clippers. While Durant was "flattered," he decided to join Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn.

Leonard had better luck with George, who reportedly approached Thunder general manager Sam Presti to request a trade.

An excerpt from Shelburne:

"After the Clippers met with Leonard for approximately three hours at head coach Doc Rivers' house in Malibu on Monday night, both sides went to work to make that happen. At the same time he was meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors this week, Leonard was meeting, calling and texting with George, trying to convince him to find a way out of Oklahoma City.

"... Leonard's camp was essentially trying to buy time, asking the Lakers as late as 9 p.m. PT on Friday night to delay the consummation of the Anthony Davis trade until 'as late as Sunday,' according to sources close to the situation. No reason was given for that delay by Leonard's camp, except that they should do it if they still wanted Leonard to consider them."

In the end, the Lakers missed out on Leonard but netted free agents DeMarcus Cousins and Danny Green, who won it all with Leonard in Toronto this year and San Antonio in 2014, to set up a heavyweight rivalry in L.A.

While Toronto has every right to be upset to lose a player of Leonard's caliber, the one season the Raptors did have him couldn't have gone any better. The three-time All-Star was at the center of several historic moments, such as the first buzzer-beater in Game 7 history to oust the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals—not to mention effectively ending the Golden State Warriors' dynasty.

Now Leonard will try to bring a championship to his hometown for a franchise that, like the Raptors, hasn't managed to earn a title without him.

Reported free-agency deals via NBA.com's tracker unless otherwise noted.

Saturday was a tough day for the Toronto Raptors.

Superstar Kawhi Leonard chose to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday following the team's trade for Paul George, while Danny Green agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

Despite losing two key players from their 2018-19 title-winning team, Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri released a statement thanking both for their time in Toronto.

"We are very thankful for the year that Kawhi and Danny played with us here in Toronto, and I know the city and the entire country of Canada are grateful for everything they did to help us win our first NBA Championship. On behalf of the Raptors, I say a very heartfelt thank you to Kawhi and Danny, and we send them and their families nothing but good wishes. As an organization, the Raptors will focus on the future and continue our pursuit of a second championship."

Leonard chose to sign with the Clippers after they reportedly sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, their own unprotected first-round picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026 picks, Miami's unprotected first-rounder pick in 2021, a protected 2023 first-rounder and pick-swap rights in 2023 and 2025 to the Thunder in exchange for George, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Woj also reported that the Raptors were engaged in trade talks with the Thunder to land George, though those talks didn't go anywhere:

"[OKC general manager Sam Presti] had been willing to pursue a package of Russell Westbrook and George to the Raptors, but no talks ever gained traction, sources said. Ujiri and Raptors GM Bobby Webster had no ability, nor inclination, to counter the Clippers' offer with a multitude of first-round picks into the middle of next decade, league sources said.

Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star tweeted that "Oklahoma City asked for Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and four unprotected first-round picks as a starting point for Paul George. The Raptors believed they were being used as leverage, and believed Kawhi finally, truly wanted LA. And then he left."

So the Raptors move on in a post-Kawhi world.

The team has two options: Make a playoff push with the current roster or field offers for veterans. A core of Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Siakam, VanVleet and OG Anunoby would likely make the playoffs in the East, but with Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka and VanVleet all hitting free agency after the 2019-20 season and Siakam becoming a restricted free agency, the Raptors could lose key contributors without getting anything in return. 

The young group of Siakam, VanVleet and Anunoby alongside draft assets would give Toronto a promising future, though Ujiri may be reluctant to further break up a winning team so soon after the Raptors won their first NBA title.

In both scenarios, the Raptors are looking at a rebuild. It's just a matter of when Ujiri chooses to begin that process. 

Free-agent small forward Stanley Johnson has agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million deal with the Toronto Raptors, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical and Stadium.

Johnson's agent, Nima Namakian of BDA Sports, also told Charania that the second year of Johnson's contract includes a player option.

Charania believes Johnson has found an "excellent opportunity" with the NBA champions:

Toronto's signing of Johnson came after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Kawhi Leonard had signed a four-year, $141 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers to join forces with Paul George.

Johnson, 23, averaged 6.9 points on 38.9 percent shooting last year for the Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans. He made just 28.8 percent of his threes and grabbed 3.3 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game.

The Pels renounced his rights at the end of the 2018-19 season, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Detroit picked the former Arizona small forward with the eighth overall selection in the 2015 NBA draft. He has struggled to find his offensive niche in the NBA after a successful collegiate season in which he had 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for a 34-4 Wildcats team that reached the Elite Eight.

Over four NBA seasons, Johnson has averaged 7.0 points on 37.4 percent shooting.

Defense is a different story, however: He finished 11th in defensive real-plus minus among 92 qualified small forwards last season, according to ESPN.com. That followed a No. 23 ranking the year before.

Detroit dealt him to New Orleans in a three-team deal that also involved the Milwaukee Bucks in February as part of a deal centered around Thon Maker and Nikola Mirotic.

While Johnson's offensive repertoire has room for improvement, he'll be just 23 years old at the beginning of next season. He's not a finished product by any means and could develop further on that end for Toronto, which could help him realize the potential that saw him drafted in the top 10 in 2015.

Johnson can't come close to matching what Leonard brought to the table offensively in Toronto, but he isn't far off defensively and is still coming into his own in that regard.

Given the Raptors' lack of quality options at small forward and shooting guard, Johnson has a chance to start next season if he can beat out one of OG Anunoby or Norman Powell.

The deal is low-risk in nature for both sides, and if Johnson enjoys a breakout campaign on a solid team next season, he will have a chance to re-enter unrestricted free agency and land a bigger deal on the open market next offseason.

Had Kawhi Leonard re-signed with the Toronto Raptors, Paul George was reportedly willing to go to Toronto in a trade.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Leonard handpicked George as the star he wanted to play alongside, and George was open to joining forces with Kawhi even if it wasn't with the Clippers.

Per Wojnarowski, the Clippers acquired George for guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forward Danilo Gallinari and five first-round draft picks and then signed Leonard to a four-year, $141 million deal. The Clippers reportedly did it, in part, to prevent the Lakers from adding Leonard to their core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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Wojnarowski also reported that the Thunder offered Toronto both George and guard Russell Westbrook, but the Raptors didn't have the necessary assets to make a deal, even with forward Pascal Siakam included.

While trading last season's Most Improved Player and a potential All-Star in Siakam would have been a tough pill to swallow for Raptors president Masai Ujiri, a "Big Three" of Leonard, George and Westbrook likely would have made Toronto the favorite to repeat as NBA champion.

The combination of George and Westbrook didn't produce anything better than a first-round playoff exit in two seasons together with the Thunder, but things may have been different with Kawhi leading the way in Toronto.

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Instead, the Raptors are left with Leonard's supporting cast and no superstar to speak of. A core of Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet is solid and capable of making the second round of the playoffs, but Toronto is no longer a championship contender.

With teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics jockeying for position at the top of the Eastern Conference, Toronto may be nothing more than a mid-tier team.

Meanwhile, Leonard and George will join a Clippers team that carries over guards Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley, as well as forward Montrezl Harrell. Even without a superstar last season, the Clippers made the playoffs as the No. 8 seed and pushed the Golden State Warriors to six games in the first round.

In L.A., both Leonard and George will have a chance to play close to home. Kawhi is a Riverside, California, native, while George is from Palmdale, California.

It has long been assumed that Leonard wanted to play in Los Angeles, which put Toronto at a disadvantage. There was some thought that winning a championship may have tipped the scales in the Raptors' favor, but they couldn't offer Kawhi the chance to play with another superstar without making an aggressive trade.

Keeping Siakam may prove to be the best move for Toronto in the future, but it likely ensured that the Raptors will not be title contenders next season at the very least.

Before sending Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in a shocking deal, the Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly held talks with the Toronto Raptors focused on George and Russell Westbrook.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Thunder general manager Sam Presti offered George and Westbrook to Toronto for a package centered around forward Pascal Siakam, but the Raptors declined the offer.

Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star reported the Thunder "asked for Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and four unprotected first-round picks as a starting point for Paul George. The Raptors believed they were being used as leverage, and believed Kawhi finally, truly wanted LA. And then he left."

Instead, OKC sent George to the Clippers for multiple first-round picks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari, per Wojnarowski.

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The Thunder will receive L.A.'s unprotected first-round picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026, unprotected first-round picks in 2021 and 2023 via the Miami Heat and the right to swap picks with the Clippers in 2023 and 2025.

Wojnarowski added that Presti attempted to pit the Clippers and Raptors against each other with the idea that whichever team acquired George would also win the Kawhi sweepstakes.

When Toronto balked at parting with a rising superstar like Siakam, the Clippers landed George, who was Leonard's preferred co-star to combat the LeBron James and Anthony Davis-led Los Angeles Lakers.

The Clippers reportedly feared that Leonard would sign with the Lakers and create a dynasty, which played into their decision to give up so much for George. It didn't hurt that Leonard reportedly wanted to play for Clippers head coach Doc Rivers.

It will long be questioned if Raptors president Masai Ujiri made the right decision by turning down the Thunder. Losing Siakam and watching him blossom into a perennial All-Star in OKC might have stung, but losing Leonard may hurt even more.

In Westbrook, the Raptors would have gotten a one-time MVP who has averaged a triple-double in each of the past three seasons.

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George finished third in the MVP voting last season after he enjoyed a career year that saw him average 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per contest.

Putting them with Leonard may have been worth the price for Toronto even if the team would have had to dismantle much of the roster that won a championship last season. At the same time, it should be noted that Westbrook and George didn't make it past the first round of the playoffs in two seasons as teammates.

While the Clippers are championship contenders, the Raptors are left to sift through the rubble with Siakam poised to become the go-to guy. Toronto is still a playoff team with Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet in the fold as well, but a championship contender it is not.

The Thunder may not even be a playoff team next season, but they have a bright future thanks to a treasure trove of draft picks. They should also be competitive in 2019-20 with Westbrook leading a group that includes Gilgeous-Alexander, Gallinari, Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder.

The big winner in all of this is the Clippers, as they leapfrogged the rival Lakers to become the favorites to win the NBA championship with 3-1 odds, per PointsBet.

Kawhi Leonard has been relatively secretive about making his free-agent decision, but ESPN analyst Jalen Rose believes the forward will return to the Toronto Raptors for monetary reasons, as he explained Wednesday on Get Up:

"What I'm 99% hearing is that Kawhi Leonard will be returning to Toronto and signing a two-year contract," Rose said. "Just completed his eighth season, that's gonna put him at 10 years. That puts him in position to get the largest available maximum deal for a player of his tenure."

He also noted that Leonard was in Toronto on Wednesday.

Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports argued that his current location could be considered a plus.

"If he's in Toronto that has to be a good sign," Lewenberg tweeted. "At minimum, I would think it means they're still being seriously considered."

Of course, there have been conflicting reports throughout the process as the Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers all hope to land the reigning Finals MVP.

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported Tuesday that the Lakers "believe they are firmly in the lead" to sign Leonard.

Meanwhile, the Clippers were the odds-on favorite to land the superstar as of Monday, per Caesars Palace.

This situation changes by the day, and it appears we won't know for sure until Leonard finalizes his decision.

If the Toronto Raptors can't convince Kawhi Leonard to stay with the organization in free agency, maybe Drake can.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, "the Raptors haven't backed off one centimeter" in their pursuit of Leonard, but Drake "is said to be mounting his own recruiting campaign on top of whatever the freshly minted champions are doing to convince him to stay."

The Raptors (and Drake) aren't alone their quest to land Leonard, however, with the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers on the prowl as well. But details of Leonard's mindset and his recruitment have been sparse, as Stein noted: 

"The Lakers, as we've been saying for more than a week now, believe they are firmly in the lead largely through the recruiting efforts and assurances made on separate fronts from Magic Johnson and LeBron James.

"Officials from both the Lakers and Clippers appear to determined to say as little as possible—less than ever for a free agent of this prominence as Ryen Russillo likes to say—to avoid upsetting Kawhi's camp when they have insisted on total silence."

Leonard's decision will dramatically alter the shape of the NBA. If he chooses the Lakers, it could create one of the most talented teams in NBA history and a true dynasty in the years to come. If he stays in Toronto, he would once again headline the favorites in the East. And if he chooses the Clippers, they have the role players in place and assets to acquire additional star power in the future to become a force.

A lot is on the line. Drake can recruit all he wants, but at the end of the day, it's either god's plan for Leonard to return to Toronto or it isn't.

Fresh off winning an NBA title, Marc Gasol will return to the Toronto Raptors in 2019-20 after opting into the final year of his contract on Wednesday, the team announced.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news.

It seemed like a given Gasol would be back with Toronto. The three-time All-Star is set to make $25.595 million next season, per Spotrac.

Even though Gasol remains a productive center, it wasn't likely he would be able to make that kind of money on the open market. The 34-year-old had a successful transition with the Raptors after being acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in February. 

Gasol's new teammates raved about his performance down the stretch and in the playoffs, especially on defense. 

Some people will never give the Toronto Raptors the credit they deserve for winning this year's NBA title, but it doesn't seem to affect the players.

When asked about the possibility of an asterisk on the 2019 title, Raptors guard Danny Green "scoffed" at the question, per Marc Stein of the New York Times.

"We don't care," the guard said (via Dane Delgado of NBC Sports). "Doesn't matter to us."

The Golden State Warriors were undeniably shorthanded in the NBA Finals because of injuries. Kevin Durant missed the first four games as he recovered from a calf strain and played only 12 minutes in Game 5 before he suffered a ruptured Achilles. Thompson missed Game 3 with a hamstring injury and then tore his ACL in the clinching Game 6.

However, the Warriors still had a lot of talent on the floor between Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins and more. 

Additionally, injuries happen every year. Teams can't predict who will go down, but they have to find a way to survive regardless and advance regardless.

The Warriors have also benefited from injuries throughout their recent run, including last year when Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul suffered a hamstring injury during Game 5 the Western Conference Finals. Their first title with Curry and Co. came in 2015 against a Cleveland Cavaliers squad that was without Kevin Love and lost Kyrie Irving after Game 1 of the Finals.

If the Raptors deserves an asterisk for the 2019 championship, plenty of other teams from years past do as well.

Based on Green's comments, the Raptors seem happy to celebrate their title along with their fans regardless of who suited up for the Warriors.