The Toronto Raptors' season may now be over, but they deserve to hold their heads up high with all they accomplished. Not only did they end their four-year playoff drought, but they also pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers -- a team hoping to compete for a title -- to a grueling seven game series.
Now, their attention shifts on the offseason and figuring out ways to build upon the success they experienced this season. Given that all of their starters plus Collin Murray-Boyles are all under contract for next season, it doesn't seem like there will be any major roster turnover. But then again, with how short championship windows are, you never know when a front office may pull the trigger on a landscape-altering move.
So, in the spirit of this, here are four players who may not be with the team at the start of next season.
1. Sandro Mamukelashvili
One of the best signings of the past offseason was the Raptors decision to bring in Sandro Mamukelashvili on a minimum contract. According to my formula for evaluating on-court player value, Mamukelashvili performed like someone who should have been paid roughly $22.4 million this season (his minimum contract was worth just $2.5 million).
Unfortunately for the Raptors (but great for Mamukelashvili), the soon-to-be sixth-year big man has a player option which he is probably going to decline in search of a more lucrative long-term deal. There are ways for Toronto to retain him on a larger figure (like digging into their non-taxpayer midlevel exception), but given how valuable Mamukelashvili's combination of size and skill (38.9 percent 3-point shooter this season), the number he requests may be too rich for their blood.
2. Gradey Dick
One of the most curious side plots of this year has been watching Raptors' games, seeing that they are 26th in 3-point attempts per game, and then noticing that Gradey Dick (their 2023 first round pick) does not get a lick of meaningful playing time. Yes, he's only shooting 30.3 percent from 3, but shooters tend to go on hot and cold streaks, and you figure that a marksmen of Dick's reputation would pick that number up eventually.
In any event, the theory of who Dick has been in flashes as a player (a big bodied shooter with the ability to drive closeouts and pressure the rim) feels like someone the Raptors could really use on their defensively-stout, offensively challenged unit. Yet, his playing time (14.0 minutes per game) was the least consistent its been for his entire career.
For one reason or another, head coach Darko Rajakovic hasn't viewed Dick as a player worth offering minutes to on a regular basis. But he is still just 22 years old with a reputation for knocking down shots. The Raptors are in win-now mode and don't have time to figure out what the best version of their former lottery pick looks like. So, they could trade him to a team with a clearer vision for him.
3. Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram did a great job of helping to make the Raptors respectable, but this past playoff series served as a huge remainder of his complicated fit alongside other high-level players.
In the regular season, the Raptors were always better when Scottie Barnes was on the floor without Ingram (+8.8 per 100 possessions, per PBP Stats) than they were vice versa (minus-1.6 per 100) or when the tandem shared the court together (plus-1.9 per 100). This same trend played out in the postseason, as the Raptors didn't miss a beat for the rest of the series after Ingram went down early in Game 5.
The most simplest explanation for this phenomenon is that Ingram needs the ball in his hands to be successful, his version of "success" isn't all that impactful, and he doesn't do much to amplify other high-usage players. If the Raptors want to take their roster to the next level, they will need to replicate what the Atlanta Hawks did with Trae Young with Ingram.
Of all the names on the list, Ingram is the least likely to play for a different team next season (it doesn't seem like many teams will be excited about paying him $40 million next year). But if Toronto wants to build a more balanced roster, that may be their best path to doing so.
4. Jonathan Mogbo
Jonathan Mogbo was one of the more pleasant surprises of the 2024-25 NBA season for the Raptors. After being drafted 31st overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, Mogbo played 20.4 minutes a night and started in 18 games in his inaugural season. His combination of effort and defensive versatility loosely resembled the likes of an Isaiah Stewart.
However, the selection of Boyles and his swift emergence has put Mogbo on the outskirts of the rotation, playing over 1,000 minutes less than he did his rookie year in Year Two. The Raptors also traded for Trayce Jackson-Davis at the deadline to give them another traditional center behind Jakob Poeltl.
With Mogbo facing a team option for 2026-27, no one would be shocked if he was wearing a different uniform next season.
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