Toronto Raptors nab veteran centre in free agency
The Toronto Raptors have made their first splash in free agency.
It just isn’t exactly the biggest one.
As per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the team has added some forward depth by the way of veteran centre Sandro Mamukelashvili on a two-year deal worth US$5.5 million.
Free agent F/C Sandro Mamukelashvili has agreed to a two-year, $5.5 million deal with the Toronto Raptors, plus a second year player option, sources tell ESPN. George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports negotiated the new deal with the Raptors. pic.twitter.com/4GWqWrdVUm
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025
Mamukelashvili, a native of Georgia, has played four seasons in the NBA, splitting his time between the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks. He has averaged 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 191 regular-season games.
What else have the Raptors been up to?
The move is the Raptors’ first transaction of the summer, which shapes up to be an interesting one in the wake of the Masai Ujiri departure from the Toronto front office last week.
In a corresponding move shortly after, the Raptors extended centre Jakob Poeltl on a four-year, $104 million contract.
The Raptors and Poeltl's agents, Michael Tellem and Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports, discussed several frameworks of a deal such as opt-out-and-extend — but the sides land on an opt-in-and-extend, giving Toronto flexibility in the next two seasons. https://t.co/ouSOFedDYS
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025
Toronto’s isn’t expected to be major players in free agency, particularly with a cap and roster crunch expected as they head into training camp this fall.
For the team, it’s as much as figuring out where the current pieces they have will fit, with Brandon Ingram’s acquisition from the New Orleans Pelicans being the likely biggest move of 2025 for the team.
In the draft last week, the team selected Collin Murray-Boyles in the first round and Alijah Martin in the second round, while adding Chucky Hepburn as an undrafted free agent.
Where does Mamukelashvili fit on the Raptors?
Given his past pedigree and the fact the Poeltl is slated to start for the Raptors, expect him to play about 10-20 minutes a night for Toronto.
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