Toronto Raptors

Nathan Barrett, the younger brother of Toronto Raptors forward-guard RJ Barrett, died Tuesday, according to a statement from Canada Basketball and the Toronto Raptors on behalf of the Barrett family.

Barrett is expected to miss the Raptors' Friday night contest against the Orlando Magic. He previously missed Wednesday's loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Nathan Barrett played as a guard for Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, per TMZ.

Barrett has started 27 games since arriving in Toronto in December as part of the New York Knicks' trade for OG Anunoby.

Nathan was four years younger than RJ, according to a 2019 Q&A with the New York Post's Steve Serby. RJ is 23.

Nathan had previously expressed interest in attending college at Duke or Oregon, according to his Montverde bio. RJ played at Duke for the 2018-19 season.

According to a post shared by RJ in 2018, Nathan attended Montverde with the goal of making the NBA.

Chris Stewart, who formerly coached the Barretts when they played youth basketball in Mississauga, Canada, shared his condolences Thursday on social media, according to the Daily Mail.

"Nathan was only with us for a short time in grade 7 before he moved to Florida but whenever he was back in Mississauga the boys connected," Stewart wrote in his Instagram post. "I saw Nathan last summer, all grown up, a big smile and he was excited telling me how he was starting school to become a pilot."

The statement on the behalf of the Barrett family described Nathan as "a God-fearing young man of strong character."

"He was thoughtful, kind, loving, compassionate, creative, admirable, and driven," it said.

The family added a request for privacy but expressed appreciation for "the outpouring of love, support and prayers that we have been receiving."

The Toronto Raptors and center Kelly Olynyk have agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $26.25 million, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowksi.

The $26.25 million represents the maximum extension amount that the 32-year-old was eligible for.

After the Raptors dealt All-Star forward Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, Toronto needed frontcourt help. The front office addressed the issue by acquiring Olynyk in a trade with the Utah Jazz on Feb. 8 while sending a package that included a 2024 first-round pick in return.

In nine games with Toronto, the former first-round pick has averaged 9.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in just 20.7 minutes per game. While his three-point shot hasn't remained consistent and is partially responsible for his team-worst -18.1 net rating, it's a safe bet that he'll get into a rhythm from behind the arc (via NBA.com).

Long-range shooting has been Olynyk's calling card throughout his NBA career, owning a three-point percentage of 36.9 percent on 3.2 attempts per game since he made his debut in 2013. In 50 games with the Jazz prior to the trade, he was connecting on 42.9 percent of his triples.

He'll provide spacing for Scottie Barnes, the former Rookie of the Year who earned the first All-Star nod of his career in 2024. Barnes loves to operate in the paint, choosing to finish through contact or draw extra attention before kicking the ball out to shooters. His 4.4 paint touches per game rank No. 2 on the team behind starting center Jakob Poeltl (per NBA.com).

Olynyk is also one of the league's most underrated passing centers, averaging 3.6 assists compared to 1.9 turnovers in only 23.4 minutes per game since the start of the 2021-22 season.

While the Toronto native hasn't exceeded expectations in the small sample size with his hometown team, the Raptors front office is willing to bet that he'll heat up from behind the arc and become a solid complementary option alongside the team's franchise player.

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes is out indefinitely after suffering a fracture to the third metacarpal of his left hand, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

The Athletic's Eric Koreen first reported Barnes exited Friday's contest against the Golden State Warriors.

Barnes suffered the injury in the first half and did not return after halftime. He had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists before the injury. Barnes is averaging 20 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game this season.

The Raptors are looking for a big win over Golden State Friday night as Toronto continues to fight for a spot in the Play-In Tournament. The Raptors currently sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, four games back from the 10 seed they would need to earn a Play-In game.

Barnes has taken a big leap since his second year in the league, increasing his scoring average by nearly five points and averaging more rebounds and assists per game this year. The 2021 Rookie of the Year is looking to lead a young Raptors team after Pascal Siakam's trade to the Indiana Pacers in January, and he'll be looking for a swift recovery to get back on the court as soon as possible.

Toronto failed to reach the playoffs last year after losing to the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In Tournament, and the Raptors are hoping for better success this season. Getting Barnes back soon would help tremendously.

Meanwhile for the Warriors, they're looking to continue a recent hot streak with a win over the Raptors on Friday. Golden State has won 10 of its last 12 games, but still has plenty of work to do, sitting in 10th place in the West. With Toronto losing a key player halfway through Friday's contest, the Warriors' chances of a win get much better.

It may not be the holiday season, but Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković is in a giving mood after his team won their third consecutive game on Monday night.

The Raptors' 130-122 victory over the Indiana Pacers gave them their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Rajaković told reporters after the game he promised the team a dinner party if they won three straight, so they will get a pizza party to celebrate their accomplishment.

"I told them that when we won three straight I'd take them to dinner," he said. "But I told them this team's so humble, we could have pizza."

Depending on where they pizza comes from, that could be an excellent reward for Raptors players.

More important for them, though, is Rajaković and the coaching staff seem to have found a formula that's working for this team. They reshaped their roster prior to the trade deadline by trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.

Seven players scored in double-figures on Monday night, led by RJ Barrett's 24 points in 33 minutes.

Scottie Barnes had his fourth triple-double of the season with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists against the Pacers. He also recorded five blocks in the win.

Despite this winning streak, things still aren't great for the Raptors. They are 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 22-36 record, but they are establishing a foundation that can make them contenders in the near-future.

That sounds like a good-enough reason to celebrate with a pizza party.

Toronto will look to run its winning streak to four games on Wednesday when it hosts the Dallas Mavericks.

Toronto Raptors guard/forward Bruce Brown's name was included in trade rumors, but he'll be sticking with his team after the trade deadline came and went without him being moved.

For his part, Brown is pretty happy he isn't going anywhere, telling Michael Grange of Sportsnet:

"It feels great. It feels great. Obviously it's nice to have some stability. I didn't know what was going on. So it was great. I'm glad to be here for the rest of the season and then try and work things out...I was watching golf all day, the Waste Management [Open] and I knew around, like, 1:00 I wasn't going to be traded, so that was pretty cool."8

It's easy to see why Brown would prefer some stability. The six-year veteran has played for five teams (the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors) over the course of his career. He's been traded twice, most notably on Jan. 17, when Indiana moved him to Toronto in the Pascal Siakam deal.

If Brown was moved in February, it likely would have led to him playing for his fifth team in less than two calendar years. Brown ended 2021-22 with the Nets before signing in free agency with Denver. After a successful 2022-23 season, Brown left in free agency for Indiana. The trade landed him in Toronto.

The Raptors have a team option on Brown for $23 million in 2024-25. If they decline it, Brown will be a free agent again, looking for his sixth team in seven years. He should get plenty of suitors, though, given his versatility and track record in the Association.

Fred VanVleet had an emotional reunion with Raptors fans ahead of the Houston Rockets' Friday night game in Toronto.

The Raptors played a tribute video honoring VanVleet, who played a key part in Toronto's run to the 2019 NBA title before he left for the Rockets in free agency last offseason.

After the tribute played in Scotiabank Arena, VanVleet earned a standing ovation from his old home crowd.

VanVleet was also busy before the game signing jerseys and signs welcoming him back to Toronto.

VanVleet left the Raptors as the all-time record holder for assists (20) and points (54) in a single game, but the moment Raptors fans might remember best from his seven seasons in Toronto is his 22 points on June 13, 2019 in the title-clinching Game 6 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

This season VanVleet, in the first season of the three-year, $128 million deal he signed with the Rockets, is averaging 16.5 points and 8.2 assists per game.

After the Toronto Raptors retained forward Bruce Brown Jr. at Thursday's trade deadline, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski believes he could be on the move this offseason.

"I would be surprised if he isn't in a trade, either on draft night or at the start of free agency," Wojnarowski said on his podcast, "The Woj Pod."

Brown, who was dealt to the Raptors in a trade involving Pascal Siakam, is putting up 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season, though his scoring numbers have dipped since landing in Toronto and taking on a bench role.

According to Wojnarowski, the Raptors' decision to hold on to Browns was due to several factors. While he believes Toronto didn't see anything on the market worth moving Brown for, he also said the Raptors believed they could benefit from having Brown around their younger players. Brown won a championship with the Denver Nuggets last season.

Toronto has struggled this season, sitting in 12th place in the Western Conference at 18-33. Since trading Siakam in January, the Raptors have lost eight of 11 games, hurting their playoff chances even more.

The Raptors likely won't be competing for a championship this season, but with a handful of assets they can move along with a few picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, Toronto will be looking for a big offseason.

In a surprise turn of events, the Toronto Raptors are going to keep Bruce Brown Jr. around.

After weeks of rumors stating that the Toronto Raptors might trade the veteran guard ahead of the NBA's Thursday deadline, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Brown will remain in The Six for the remainder of the season.

The likes of the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers were among the teams linked to Brown leading up to the deadline, but the asking price was high with Toronto looking for at least a first-round pick in exchange for the veteran, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Brown seemed like a prime trade candidate after being acquired from the Indiana Pacers in the Pascal Siakam deal. His two-year, $45 million contract that was signed in July was a terrific asset for a rebuilding team to build a trade around.

The second year of the contract is a team option, meaning he could either be used as an expiring contract this season or as a contributor for the 2024-25 season.

That financial flexibility made Brown an attractive trade chip, especially for a Raptors team that finally started a soft rebuild after moving on from Siakam and OG Anunoby.

Don't mistake Brown's constant movement since the end of last season as an indication he's not capable of making an impact for a playoff contender. The 27-year-old is an effective scorer, averaging 11.5 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting from the field.

Brown is also an extremely versatile defender who at one point in his career played every position on the floor, including as a small-ball five with the Brooklyn Nets. He's got the size and strength to defend at least three different positions.

Those qualities did make it easy for the Raptors to justify retaining Brown. They haven't gone all-in on a rebuild, especially with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett playing well with Scottie Barnes since being acquired from the New York Knicks.

It also helps that Brown is only 27 years old, so he should have several more seasons of positive play ahead of him.

The Raptors aren't likely to challenge for a playoff spot this season, but they have set themselves up nicely to be an interesting contender in the Eastern Conference going forward.

Toronto Raptors guard Bruce Brown Jr. remains one of the hottest trade candidates on the market with the NBA's trade deadline less than 24 hours away.

While the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks have been linked to Brown this winter, it appears another team has joined the sweepstakes for his services.

The Utah Jazz "have discussed a framework" with the Raptors on a deal for Brown in exchange for Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

"What draft capital could be part of that conversation remains to be seen, but Toronto has been consistent with its messaging to rival teams that it is looking for a first-round pick for Brown, sources said," Fischer wrote.

The Jazz could use some more depth at the guard position alongside Kris Dunn, Keyonte George, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson.

With the team still in contention for a playoff spot, sitting 10th in the Western Conference with a 26-26 record, attempting to acquire a player of Brown's caliber to pair with Lauri Markkanen is a no-brainer.

Brown helped the Denver Nuggets win the NBA title last season and his championship pedigree would be perfect in Utah.

However, the reported asking price of a first-round pick is high, and it's unclear if the Jazz would be willing to offload any sort of draft capital in a potential deal.

Olynynk, 32, doesn't fit Toronto's timeline, but it's possible the Raptors could offload him to a contender in another trade in pursuit of larger assets to accelerate a rebuild. The Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Golden State Warriors are among the teams to have interest in Olynyk, according to Fischer.

Agbaji, who is in his second NBA season, would be more of a fit with the Raptors than Olynyk. At 23 years old, he has the potential to mold into a solid player despite underperforming in the early stages of his career.

Brown began the 2023-24 campaign with the Indiana Pacers after signing a two-year, $45 million contract as a free agent. He was traded to the Raptors in the Pascal Siakam deal.

The 27-year-old is averaging 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 42 games this season while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 33.1 percent from deep.

At least one team is said to have offered the Raptors a first-round pick in exchange for Brown, according to Sportsnet's Michael Grange, so the Jazz certainly face some stiff competition for his services.

The 2024 NBA trade deadline is less than 24 hours away, and a couple of members of the Toronto Raptors continue to generate buzz as the team enters an expected rebuild following the departures of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.

Veteran Dennis Schröder "would be of interest to teams looking for point-guard depth," according to Sportsnet's Michael Grange. However, "the return would be second-rounders at best," Grange added.

Another player who has been made available in trade discussions is Chris Boucher, but whether he is moved "depends on how teams feel about picking up someone who projects as an eighth or ninth man and who still has one year left on his contract at $10.8 million," according to Grange.

The Raptors "might have to add a second-round pick or take back a longer-term deal to facilitate a trade" involving Boucher.

Schröder has emerged as a trade candidate over the last week with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reporting that the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in the point guard as a depth option behind Mike Conley.

Schröder is in his first season with the Raptors after bouncing around the league over the last few seasons, having suited up for the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers from 2021 to 2023.

The 30-year-old has appeared in 50 games for Toronto this season, making 33 starts. He's averaging 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from deep.

He would be a solid depth option for any contending team this winter, and with the potential cost being second-round picks, looking into acquiring him should be a no-brainer for teams in need of guard depth.

Boucher has spent the last six seasons of his career in Toronto, but he has fallen out of Darko Rajaković's rotation this year, averaging just 14.0 minutes off the bench. For comparison, he averaged 21.6 minutes per game between the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons.

The 31-year-old would also be a solid role player off the bench for contenders, but as Grange said, his salary might not be worth what teams would be acquiring.

Boucher is averaging 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 45 games while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and 33.0 percent from deep.

It's unclear which teams might be interested in acquiring him leading up to Thursday's deadline.