Toronto Raptors waive pair of players days before season ends
The Toronto Raptors aren’t waiting for the NBA offseason to get a few transactions underway.
Today, the Raptors announced that they’d be waiving Cole Swider and Orlando Robinson from their roster, with just two games left in their 2024-25 campaign.
Swider, who was on his second 10-day contract with the Raptors, put up Ā 7.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 19.5 minutes in eight games with the Raptors.
In three NBA seasons, the 6-foot-9 wing bounced around to four different organizations, playing 35 games in total for the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Detroit Pistons in addition to his time in Toronto.
Robinson had a bit more footing with the Raptors this year, as the 6-foot-10 centre had been with the team for about half the year. Signing with Toronto in January initially on a pair of 10-day deals before eventually landing a two-way contract, Robinson averaged 8.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 20.4 minutes in 35 games with the Raptors this season.
Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy posited that the team could still potentially sign either or both players to new deals for next season. with those deals likely to be announced Saturday.
Neither move is franchise-changing, but they could be the first of a busy few months for the Raptors front office.
It’s a big offseason ahead for Toronto, who are awaiting the results of next month’s draft lottery as a possible franchise-altering moment.
While they only have two players slated to hit free agency in veterans Chris Boucher and Garrett Temple, they’ve got a bit of a roster jam for next season. All of RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, and newcomer Brandon Ingram are set to compete for minutes next season, leaving a possible odd man out of the regular starting five.
Mix in the team’s four rookies from this season, Jonathan Mogbo, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, and Jamison Battle, who all played regular minutes for the team, and perhaps we might see a trade in the coming months to shake up Toronto’s roster mix even more.