Raptors Notebook: Contract decisions loom for several players

MONTREAL — There’s something to be said for a slow, methodical ramp-up to start a season. For the Toronto Raptors, after a week of playing only against each other in Montreal, that meant getting their feet wet against the Washington Wizards at the Bell Centre on Sunday. The Raptors will play the defending champion Boston Celtics twice in exhibition action later this month; this was not that, with the first of a two-game set against a rebuilding Wizards team delivering the resistance of, well, an exhibition opener.

That Toronto looked superior is notable, if not particularly meaningful. Down several key pieces, the Raptors rolled the Wizards to the tune of a 125-98 win, opening up a massive lead in the game’s opening minutes and never relenting from there.

The sold-out Bell Centre crowd of 21,900 was treated to some sharp offence, a high level of defensive intensity, a few big highlights, and some big Canadian sport cameos. What else could you ask for, other than better health? Again, stomping this Wizards team (without Malcolm Brogdon) is not cause for a banner, but you’ve gotta put one 45 on the bar before you can put another.

What follows are some notes from the scene, some scouting notes, and a few other items as we wrap the week in Quebec.

Sights and sounds

• Toronto's Chris Boucher, a Montreal product, and Washington's Kyshawn George, who has Montreal roots, greeted the crowd before the game. Like at the open scrimmage on Friday, Boucher received the biggest player ovations of the night, both during that pregame address and again upon checking in. It was a nice move by head coach Darko Rajakovic to make Boucher the first sub of the game, too, to take advantage of the moment for him and the crowd.

• A moment of silence was held for Dikembe Mutombo prior to tipoff.

• Aaliyah Edwards, Natalie Achonwa, Jerome Williams, and Vince Carter were in attendance, after participating in some NBA Canada activations and community events throughout the weekend. I kind of lied about Boucher; Carter got the biggest crowd reaction. He also joined the broadcast for a good chunk of the second quarter, then had a very hearty laugh with Garrett Temple during a timeout.

Canada hockey’s royal newlyweds, Laura Stacey and Marie-Philip Poulin, were also at the game.

• After a particularly strong stint from Jamal Shead in the first quarter, Temple, Scottie Barnes, and Bruce Brown spent a timeout mimicking Shead’s movements to get free for a very tough kiss off-window for a late-clock bucket. That is to say, there are a lot more Shead fans around the team this week than just me. More on him sometime pretty soon.

•The giant inflatable Raptor devoured beloved commentator Jack Armstrong. It was the second biggest indignity Jack suffered on the day, narrowly edged out by the Buffalo Bills' walk-off loss to the Houston Texans.

• The team is really pulling for Ulrich Chomche. The bench was fired up when he fought a physical battle for a defensive rebound in the fourth, cheered on a nice dime late, and was very vocal to him at breaks in play and in timeouts. (There was, admittedly, a lot to help him try to correct; he had four fouls and three turnovers in six minutes.) The project is going to take a while, complete with extended Raptors 905 stints, but it’s clear everyone is taking the right view – the long view – with the development plan. It doesn’t hurt that he seems well-liked by the vets.

Scouting notes

• Michael Grange covered off the level of Raptors’ ball pressure and I’ll have more on Shead in the coming weeks. It’s worth repeating the note here, though, as the team’s emphasis on point-of-attack defence – and the change in personnel at the point-guard position – should fundamentally change how this team looks on defence. It will be interesting to see the trickle-down it has on backline defenders, too; Boucher told me post-game that he has a much better sense of when to help and when not to help, and Barnes has talked about becoming an even more vocal defensive communicator from the pseudo-safety position. Last year’s defence skewed conservative (and simplistic), and there’s enough individual talent here to effort and execute their way to an average defence despite the relative inexperience.

• Prior to leaving injured, RJ Barrett was safely the best player on the floor. He scored 17 points in 14 minutes, hitting a trio of threes and generally being a terror attacking the paint. He was excellent in the open scrimmage, too, and looks ready to continue on the progress he made as a Raptor last season. Even if the three-point shooting doesn’t hold up to quite the same level, this is a very good scorer.

• Similarly, Gradey Dick looked very comfortable in the open scrimmage and again Sunday. He actually missed all four of his three-point attempts against Washington, but you trust that those will come around; he went five-of-five inside the arc, and showed a good feel for how to use the defence running him off the three-point line to get into his mid-range package or make the next read as a passer. He even looks more engaged one-on-one defensively, picking up Jordan Poole higher and more capably than you might have expected, though that will remain a work in progress.

• Jamison Battle was the standout among the Raptors 905 types. The shooting at his size is an obvious skill, and it’s one that will earn him some patience from the organization as he rounds out the rougher parts of his game and continues to learn the game at an NBA level. He hit a pair of threes, attacked the offensive glass, and made a couple of nice baseline cuts from the weakside corner, a must in Toronto’s offence.

• Bruno Fernando is probably the most interesting name to watch over the next four games. The Raptors can go a few different ways with their 15^th roster spot, and Fernando is the only one who requires a full commitment at the end of camp, as his contract guarantees in full if he makes the team. On paper, Toronto could use an additional big, especially with Jonathan Mogbo off to a fairly rough start. Things get thin in a hurry behind Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk, and the team would probably prefer Branden Carlson receive ample 905 time this year. With how good so many guards have looked early on, the decision isn’t as obvious as it seemed when Fernando first signed, even if he might be the best rebounder in camp.

• Shead, D.J. Carton, Jahmi’us Ramsey, and Jared Rhoden have all had good moments already, and all of those except Shead have at least shown to be high-end G League players. The 905 are so back.

Injury updates

• Barrett left the game in the second quarter and did not return due to a right shoulder contusion. Barrett appeared to hurt the shoulder fighting through a tough screen from Jonas Valanciunas and was favouring it for a couple of possessions before coming out of the game. He is set to be re-evaluated on Monday back in Toronto.

• Davion Mitchell also had a brief injury scare, slipping early in the third quarter and heading to the locker room to be checked on as a precaution before ultimately returning.

The Raptors were already playing without a pair of starters and a handful of likely rotation players overall.

• While Barnes returned to the team Saturday, it was too quick a turnaround to get him into game action. Barnes got additional work in around the team’s morning shootaround Sunday. He also got a lot of additional work in signing for fans in Montreal for an extended period before the game, which is always great to see.

• Immanuel Quickley remained out as a precaution with his sprained thumb, while Ja’Kobe Walter was limited to a pre-game workout and Brown is still going to be out a while.

• Temple (personal) and Shead (hip) returned after being unavailable in Friday’s open scrimmage, though Temple drew a DNP-CD.

Option decisions and extension eligibility

The Raptors have until Oct. 31 to exercise team options on the rookie-scale contracts of Dick and Ochai Agbaji.

Picking up Dick’s option is as straightforward as it gets. The option is for $4.9 million for the 2025-26 season, with a $7.1-million option for follow for 2026-27 (that they have until next year to decide on). It’s extremely rare for a lottery pick to have a third-year option declined, and Dick’s given the team no reason to cut bait so early. His option will be picked up, no questions asked.

Agbaji’s situation is less obvious. The fourth-year player option they hold for 2025-26 is worth $6.4 million, and if they pick up the option, they’d hold his restricted free agent rights in 2026. The fact that Agbaji was the No. 14 pick two years ago, and that the Raptors were eager to acquire him in a deal that sent out draft compensation, would suggest this is a long-term investment, and that Agbaji’s option will be picked up. The Raptors projecting as a non-cap team this summer, and $6.4 million salaries being useful chips for making salary math work in trades, make the downside here minimal, even if he hasn’t quite shown he’s a $6-million player yet.

• The team also has until Oct. 21 to work out a contract extension with Mitchell. After that date, he’ll be locked into restricted free agency after the season.

• Boucher is also extension-eligible, though he can sign one any time this season.

Liberty reach WNBA Finals; Carleton next?

The New York Liberty punched their ticket to the WNBA Finals with a fourth-quarter pull-away against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, winning that rematch 3-1. While this normally wouldn’t make a Raptors notebook, I am a Liberty fan (until 2026, anyway) and I’m excited.

More importantly, Canadian standout Bridget Carleton could be on the other side of the Liberty in the finals – her Minnesota Lynx are headed for a deciding Game 5 against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. Carleton had a rough Game 4 on Sunday but has otherwise had an excellent playoff run to date. Team Canada would be wise to look at some of the ways the Lynx free Carleton up in their offence, something Canada struggled at times to do for its best scoring weapon at the Olympics in Paris.

What’s next

The Raptors will have an off-day Monday before another mini training camp of sorts with possible practice days back in Toronto from Tuesday to Thursday. They’ll then hit the road, including a Friday game in Washington and a Sunday game in Boston (on Sportsnet).

Matt Bonner and I will also have an episode of The Raptors Show (podcast only) on Tuesday ahead of our Oct. 15 official debut (on TV, radio, and podcast). We’ll get Bonner’s takes on the pre-season opener and recap my week in Montreal.