Rumors

But as many mentioned during a week of games in Las Vegas, a three-year NBA veteran is supposed to have a big impact on Summer League games; if he didn’t, that’d be a cause for concern. So as good as Lawson has been, it’s unwise to even pencil him in for a roster spot — “lots of basketball between now and training camp cuts,” one executive warned. The same point is being made about the entire Raptors roster. They’ve certainly played well and the team’s defence was outstanding through the first three games but, as a handful of executives pointed out, it’s a team that includes seven players who spent time in the NBA last season and if they weren’t successful that’d also be a cause for concern.

Toronto Star

The Raptors ultimately used the pick, drafting forward Collin Murray-Boyles from South Carolina with Khaman Maluach, Cedric Coward and various center prospects available. New Orleans traded up to No. 13 overall to select Derik Queen, sending its unprotected 2026 Bucks pick to the Hawks for the selection. The Celtics stayed at No. 28 and took Hugo González before trading back from No. 32 in the second round. “I don’t think Boston ever really was so interested in that selection for one of those types of guys,” Fischer said. “Golden State definitely called for Derrick White too, but there’s just nothing that I know for Jaylen that got really close or for Derrick too.”

CLNSMedia.com

According to multiple sources, Ujiri was the “driving force” behind the Brandon Ingram deal at last February’s trade deadline, while others in the room were less convinced about the fit and the timing. To just assume that Webster would pick up where Ujiri left off might be misguided. They could use a fresh perspective after missing the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, but they don’t necessarily need to look outside of the organization for that. The grass isn’t always greener.

TSN

The search for the next Raptors president is officially underway. MLSE has enlisted the services of Los Angeles-based CAA Executive Search and, according to league sources, the firm submitted a list of recommended candidates to the board last week. They’re believed to be in the vetting stage. Pelley wouldn’t put a hard timeline on the process, but it’s fair to say they would like to have somebody in place well before training camp opens at the end of September.

TSN

The elephant in the room is the one person who’s no longer in the room: the recently dismissed team president, Masai Ujiri. Nobody is talking about their former boss or even speaking his name aloud. Ask somebody about him, on or off the record, and you’ll get a scripted response, something along the lines of: "He did great things and will be missed, but life goes on." Requests to make general manager Bobby Webster or other members of the front office available to the media have been declined, even for stories unrelated to Ujiri, and the sense is that the code of silence is a directive coming from the very top. The nervous energy is palpable.

TSN

On one hand, in the highly competitive world of professional sports, it’s not unusual to have doubts about one’s job security. But, even by NBA standards, to have this many people looking over their shoulder at once is notable. And given that the longtime face of the franchise was just let go and the new-look ownership group has promised more change, it’s entirely justifiable. “Everybody is scared,” said one team source, who asked to remain anonymous. “The closer you are to the top, the more you feel it.”

TSN

As if the situation wasn’t precarious enough already, imagine asking Webster to report to somebody with less relevant experience, who beat him out for the job that he wanted and felt that he earned. He was recently given a contract extension, along with the other prominent members of his leadership team, but according to sources, those deals run through the 2026-27 season. Hardly a long-term commitment or something that would preclude a new president from cleaning house and bringing in their own people.

TSN

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Cole Anthony. A 6-2, 185-pound guard, Anthony appeared in 67 games (22 starts) last season with the Orlando Magic, averaging 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 18.4 minutes per game. He reached double figures in scoring 26 times, including eight games with 20+ points and one game reaching the 30-point mark, and he matched his career-high 11 assists on Jan. 3 at Toronto.

NBA.com

Michael Grange: Raptors Summer League head coach, James 'Coco Channel' Wade: "I mean, this is what I just told the group - some people are born to be models -- like me. Some are born to be firemen. Some are born to be policemen. That group in the locker room, they they're born to play defense."

Twitter

Jason Beede: #Magic summer league coach Ameer Bahhur pointed out rookie Jase Richardson’s toughness vs. Toronto: “His ability to handle the physicality, get us organized, he just has a knack for finding a bucket when we really needed one. Thought he did a great job getting downhill...” pic.x.com/sgQxL5VcWe

Twitter

Josh Lewenberg: Collin Murray-Boyles will make his Summer League debut vs Orlando today and start alongside Shead, Walter, Battle and Castleton.

Twitter

Andrea Bargnani: Playing with Carmelo Anthony was great because I played with Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, the two true superstars that I played with, maybe Carmelo even more than Bosh famous-wise and player-wise. It was great, I think superstars is is one of the other big difference compared to Europe. In Europe we don't have the superstar level, the superstar kind of player so being next to one of the superstars and playing with them and practice every day was a great experience, because you see what really a superstar is which is something completely different than anybody else. There was a lot of pressure.

YouTube

Andrea Bargnani: I didn't even know what the NBA draft was. And playing in the playing in the NBA when I was eight, nine, 10 years old was an unreachable dream. You were not even allowed to dream to play in the NBA when I was eight, nine, 10 because nobody was going from Italy to become an important player in the NBA. It never happened. I was dreaming about playing in Barcelona, playing in Real Madrid, in Panathinaikos, because that was my dream when I was growing up. So to answer your question, I didn't really feel the pressure of being number one.

YouTube

Rookie forward Noa Essengue’s debut Friday wasn’t just humbling, it was a disaster. The 18-year-old looked like a freshman playing with the varsity. He was pushed around like a baby giraffe, turned over like a French pastry — seven giveaways, to be exact — and became a passive bystander in the second half. Essengue scored only five points and was a minus-32 in just less than 25 minutes against the Raptors. Even more alarming was afterward, when he admitted he was ‘‘surprised’’ by the physicality. He very well might have been, but it probably wasn’t something he should have admitted. ‘‘I need to improve everything: my dribble, my shooting skills, my go to the basket,’’ Essengue said. ‘‘I missed a lot of shots. I [had] a lot of turnovers. I just need to get better [in] everything. I just need to be more physical, more ready.’’ Donovan III was blunt, too. ‘‘This league has humbled all of us at some point,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m really interested to see how he’s going to respond.’’

Chicago Sun-Times