Toronto Raptors Trade Rumors

Looks like Forbes to Raps is done
December 14
Toronto Sun
 
"And then there were 15? It sure looks like the Raptors roster is now complete. Though the Raptors would not confirm, the Denver Post reported on Tuesday evening that the Nuggets declined to match Toronto's offer sheet on restricted free agent small forward Gary Forbes. Denver had until midnight to match the two-year deal with a club option for a third. Forbes, a native of Panama who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., will turn 27 in February."
Suns' trade of Mickael Pietrus to Toronto Raptors called off
December 11
Arizona Republic
 
"The Suns' agreement to trade swingman Mickael Pietrus to Toronto has been called off because Pietrus had slight knee swelling after a workout for the Raptors, according to Pietrus' agent Bill McCandless. McCandless said the trade has been "postponed" and that Pietrus did not fail his Friday physical exam. He said the Raptors medical staff determined that Pietrus needed two to four more weeks to be cleared for play. Toronto will likely move another direction to fill the roster slot. Toronto's doctors flagged something they saw in Pietrus' MRI exam on his right knee, which underwent minor surgery this summer after he missed the final 12 games of the last Suns season too. The Suns had agreed"
Suns to trade Mickael Pietrus, waive Vince Carter
December 10
Arizona Republic
 
"The Suns have agreed to trade swingman Mickael Pietrus and cash to Toronto for a conditional second-round pick but the deal is pending a physical. Pietrus underwent minor right knee surgery in July after the French national team declared him unable to play. Pietrus also missed the final 12 games of the Suns season because of a quadriceps-tendon strain near the same knee. Pietrus is in Toronto today for the physical. He would be an ideal fit into the international look that Bryan Colangelo has pursued since leaving Phoenix to take over the Raptors' basketball operations. The Suns also would have to send about $1 million to Toronto for the Raptors to take on Pietrus' $5.3 million salary in"
Raptors hope to land Pietrus, Forbes
December 10
Toronto Sun
 
"When Bryan Colangelo wants a player, he often gets him, even if it's a few years later. He strongly considered signing Mickael Pietrus back in July of 2007 before instead opting for Jason Kapono and is finally about to get his man. Pietrus will be traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Raptors upon completion of a physical — in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick — likely protected 31-50 — that probably will never be conveyed. Pietrus, an athletic 29-year-old swingman is owed $5.3 million U.S. in the final year of his deal and will bring Toronto some much-needed depth at small forward. A fully healthy Pietrus — he missed the final 12 games of the 2010-11 season — could usurp"
Toronto's Magloire joining Raptors
December 9
Toronto Sun
 
"The Big Cat came clean a day early. Jamaal Magloire, also known as the Big Cat, will become the first Canadian to don the uniform of the Toronto Raptors. The deal won't be made official until 2 p.m. Friday when NBA teams can officially begin announcing their respective roster moves for the coming season. The former Eastern Commerce standout returns home at the tail end of a 12-year NBA career to provide a little more muscle in the paint, a little leadership in the locker room, and whatever minutes a compressed schedule can offer a guy whose NBA career is winding down. Toronto will be Magloire's eighth and, barring something unforeseen, final team in a career that began when the Charlotte"
Magloire inches closer to becoming Raptors' first Canadian player
December 8
Toronto Star
 
"The Raptors are inching closer to adding their first Canadian player in franchise history. While no contracts can be signed until Friday afternoon — and Toronto fans know better than anyone that no NBA deal is done until it's signed, sealed and delivered — Jamaal Magloire is poised to join the team and give it some much-needed front court depth. Magloire, the Toronto native about to enter his 12th NBA season, would be coming on a one-year, veteran minimum deal worth slightly more than $1 million a season as president and general manager Bryan Colangelo tries to maintain financial flexibility for a year from now."
Battier Narrows It To Handful Of Teams
December 5
NBA.com
 
"Free agent forward Shane Battier has narrowed his list of prospective teams from more than the original dozen or so to a handful of teams, including his current team, the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami, Indiana and Toronto, according to a league source. The 33-year-old, whose defensive skills still are among the league's best, has been one of the most sought-after free agents since teams were allowed to discuss contract parameters last Wednesday."
Knicks target Toronto big
December 4
New York Post
 
"The Knicks continue beating the bushes for a big man and have placed Toronto's young 7-2 French center Alexis Ajinca among their targets. Ajinca — who began last season with Dallas, even starting two games — is strictly a reserve and still needs to work on his body with his skinny build. But if Toronto passes, the Knicks could take a flyer on Ajinca with a one-year deal for a minimum-range salary. It isn't surprising Mike D'Antoni's Knicks have interest in Ajinca because of his European offensive style, as he can shoot the 3-pointer. But he also can rebound and can be an athletic shot-blocker. He's only 23 and the Knicks need to stockpile size."
Raptors douse Big V rumours
December 4
Toronto Sun
 
"Will Jonas Valanciunas be a Raptor in 2011-12? Don't get your hopes up Raptors fans. The odds of that happening are miniscule, though ESPN's Chad Ford at least floated the idea on Saturday. Citing a source close to the Raptors, Ford said there's a small chance Valanciunas could leave Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania and join Toronto at some point this season. But Raptors president/general manager Bryan Colangelo threw cold water on the scenario, telling the Toronto Sun: "He's under contract and the buyout calls for him to play the year out in Lithuania. Beyond that, there is nothing else to report from our side.""
Free-agent buzz: Heat lead chase for Battier
December 4
Yahoo! Sports
 
"Once NBA teams can speak with free agents beginning Monday, Miami Heat president Pat Riley has his franchise in strong position to sell Shane Battier on signing to play with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Battier has been a primary target in free agency for the Heat, and sources say the pitch of Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra and key Heat players could ultimately confirm Battier's strong feelings about chasing a championship in Miami. Riley and Spoelstra see Battier as a strong defender with an ability to hit the open shots that'll come his way playing with James, Wade and Chris Bosh. Battier has been a proven playoff performer, and possesses the"
Valanciunas to play in NBA this season?
December 4
ESPN.com
 
"The Toronto Raptors drafted Jonas Valanciunas with the No. 5 pick in the 2011 NBA draft knowing it would be at least a year before he came to the NBA. But a source close to the team told ESPN.com on Saturday that there's a small chance they might be able to get him this season. The source said that the team reached out to Valanciunas' agent over the weekend to gauge the center's interest in joining the Raptors in 2011-12. If Valanciunas has interest, the Toronto would have to work out a buyout with his team in Lithuania, Lietuvos Rytas."
Raptors eye big-time free agents: report
December 2
Toronto Sun
 
"More than the 260 required players signed and returned their union cards to the American Arbitration Association on Thursday, meaning the NBA Players Association is on track to re-form on Friday. That will pave the way for the new collective bargaining agreement to be ratified in time to ensure the NBA season will start on Christmas Day as planned. Fittingly, just after that news broke, the Raptors announced that their pre-season schedule had been set. The team will take on the four-time defending Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics at the ACC on Dec. 18 in a matinee and three days later in Boston. Training camp is expected to start on Dec. 9, when free agency also officially begins."
Raptors may pocket salary exception … for now
November 29
Toronto Star
 
"It's not expected that the Raptors will avail themselves of one of the more unique aspects to the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement. Yet. Armed with about $7 million in salary cap room to fill out his roster, general manager Bryan Colangelo is likely to wait at least a year before thinking about using the new amnesty clause in the new agreement that's about to be ratified to free up more money. Instead, it may make more sense for Colangelo — who likes much of the young core he's put together to play for new head coach Dwane Casey — to wait; the amnesty clause can be used at any time in next six years on anyone on the roster July 1, 2011."
Raptors cool on free-agent frenzy
October 29
Toronto Star
 
"The gloves may soon be off in the NBA with general managers armed with cash to engage in some kind of speed-signing session for the more than 100 free agents who'll flood the market. Bryan Colangelo may not be one of the bare-knuckle fighters ready to outbid all others for the services of this guy or that guy. He does have holes to fill — and with just 10 players under contract, he's certainly got spots available — but as for some hugely significant free-agent signing? Fans may not want to get their hopes too high."
Colangelo 'not going anywhere'
October 28
Toronto Sun
 
"Ed Stefanski has "sat in my chair," says Raptors president/general manager Bryan Colangelo and that is a major reason why he is now on the Raptors' payroll. No, Colangelo does not expect to step aside anytime soon, but he said on Thursday that he and ownership are pleased that the option now exists. "Whether or not Ed ultimately succeeds me is an unknown, but at least I've got a guy with certainty who has been there and done that," Colangelo said. "But last time I checked, I'm not going anywhere, I plan to stay around as long as they'll keep me. "I don't anticipate my role changing a great deal." Colangelo lauded Stefanski as a great deal-maker with a vast wealth of experience. "We are"
Raptors add experienced voice to front office
October 27
Toronto Star
 
"Bryan Colangelo finally has another voice to add to the chorus in the Raptors front office. Fulfilling a promise he made a few months ago, Colangelo, the Raptors president and general manager, has added an experienced voice to his staff with the addition of Ed Stefanski as the team's new executive vice-president of basketball operations. According to several sources, the Raptors could formally introduce the former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers and a long-time NBA executive as early as Thursday morning."
Raptors adding Stefanski to front office
October 26
Yahoo! Sports
 
"The Toronto Raptors are finalizing an agreement with former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Ed Stefanski to take over as the franchise's executive vice president of basketball operations, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Stefanski, who was fired as the 76ers' GM a week ago, will report to Raptors president-GM Bryan Colangelo, who will still have final say on basketball matters. Stefanski will ultimately replace Masai Ujiri, who left Toronto to become the Denver Nuggets GM last year."
Raptors' Bargnani to play in Italy thanks to infidelity website Ashley Madison
October 19
Toronto Star
 
"The chance was too good to pass up, an opportunity to do some promotion for the company, to help old friends, to repatriate an athlete if only for a few months. A website that bills itself as "the world's leading married dating service for discreet encounters" is trying to get Andrea Bargnani playing basketball in his native Italy. And if it helps business, well, that's a nice little bonus for ashleymadison.com. "This was a chance for some cross-promotion, to call the team Ashley Madison Roma," Noel Biderman, the chief executive officer of Avid Life Media, the company that owns the dating site targeting married people, said in a telephone interview from Italy, where he is trying to"
Raptors still looking for GM
October 15
Yahoo! Sports
 
"After making progress on an agreement to become the Toronto Raptors' general manager, talks with Philadelphia 76ers GM Ed Stefanski have stalled, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Friday. Two sources with knowledge of the talks used the term "hit a snag" to describe the state of the discussions. In the past several days, sources said, this development has caused former New Orleans Hornets GM Jeff Bower to re-emerge at the forefront of the search."
Report: Raptors close to hiring Stefanski
October 9
Toronto Sun
 
"Labour talks aren't the only negotiations going on in the NBA these days. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Philadelphia GM Ed Stefanski is in "advanced" talks to take on that title with the Toronto Raptors. Current GM Bryan Colangelo would retain No. 1 decision maker status as team president if the negotiations are successful. Stefanski, who is in the last year of his contract in Philadelphia is also up for consideration for the same job title in Portland. Also in the running for the Raptors GM job is former Hornets GM Jeff Bower according to Wojnarowski."
Raptors finish front-office interviews
September 19
Yahoo! Sports
 
"Toronto Raptors president Bryan Colangelo has completed interviews with four candidates for a high-ranking executive job, leagues sources told Yahoo! Sports. Philadelphia 76ers general manager Ed Stefanski, San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey, Indiana Pacers pro personnel director Kevin Prichard and former New Orleans Hornets GM Jeff Bower traveled to Toronto in recent weeks to meet with Colangelo, sources said. There's no clear frontrunner, but several sources have reason to believe Lindsey could hold an edge over the other three candidates. Lindsey is also on the short list for the Portland Trail Blazers' GM job."
NBA lockout could mean money in the bank for season-ticket holders
September 14
Toronto Star
 
"Hey, brother, can you spare a few thousand dollars? It's not exactly as if the Raptors and every other NBA team are now in the money-borrowing business full-time but their proposal on season-ticket payments if the start of the NBA season is delayed by labour strife amounts to a loan. Under a league mandate put forward long before the owners locked out the players on July 1, the Raptors are offering two different repayment plans after they get money for 2011-12 season tickets."
If Nachbar returns to NBA, he'd say "Yo" to Brooklyn
September 13
SheridanHoops.com
 
"Bostjan Nachbar indeed wants to get back into the NBA, and don't be surprised if he ends up in one of three places: New Jersey, Toronto or Detroit. Nachbar, who has been working out for two weeks after having surgery to remove loose cartilage from his ankle, arrived Tuesday in this quaint Lithuanian city to provide color commentary for Slovenian television as his homeland plays in the quarterfinals. He has spent the past three years playing in Russia and Turkey, and there are currently several offers from European teams on the table. But Nachbar wants to see how the NBA lockout plays out before making any kind of commitment, and the 31-year-old would ideally like to spend two or three"
NBA wants 3rd round in draft
September 7
SheridanHoops.com
 
"After an overnight flight connecting through Helsinki, Finland, I bumped into a scout for the Denver Nuggets near the tourist information booth at the quaint little airport here where the second round of EuroBasket is taking place. Whether he knows it or not, he may be here scouting future third-round draft picks. That's right: Third round. SheridanHoops.com has learned that NBA owners have proposed adding a third round to the annual draft, a proposal that the players' union has countered by offering an array of changes to the draft that would help address the owners' desire for more competitive balance."
NBA Lockout Update: Sides are closer than they're saying
September 6
SheridanHoops.com
 
"Here's the dirty little secret about the NBA lockout, despite what both sides — the owners and the players — would have you believe: They are a lot closer to a settlement than most people realize. I know this because I talk regularly with a bunch of important people who tell me important things, and I am going to explain why I believe a settlement will be reached that will not only save the season, but also enable the NBA to have an "all is forgiven" honeymoon period (similar to what the NFL just experienced following its labor settlement) in which the frenzy of free agents signings, trades, training camps and exhibition games will make everyone forget all of the doomsday talk they've been"
Barbosa heads back to Brazil
August 19
Toronto Sun
 
"The Raptors have lost another player, but this one will come back if the NBA season gets played. Guard Leandro Barbosa has signed with Brazilian club Flamengo. Barbosa's deal has an NBA out that will be activated whenever the lockout ends. Swingman Sonny Weems has already signed to play in Lithuania for the entire season, with no lockout provision. "I'm delighted to play in Brazil after so much time, 'cause Brazilian basketball improved a lot in recent years," Barbosa said. "I had proposals from China, Turkey and other countries. But I was sure I'd be happy here.""
Next bargaining session coming early September?
August 17
CBSSports.com
 
"It took 46 days for the NBA and its players' union after the lockout began July 1. It didn't go all that well. Rhetoric from both sides ramped up, lawsuits started flying around and most importantly, there wasn't any movement towards the middle. Then David Stern accused the union of cancelling a meeting last week with the union responding that Billy Hunter had been told Stern wasn't going to be available for two weeks. So as you can tell, this is all going just super. But they're finally going to try again sometime in early September, according to Newsday. At this point, the union will host an executive meeting in New York at the end of August. The anticipation is the union and league"
David Stern: NBA to look at contraction
August 15
CBSSports.com
 
"The NBA currently has thirty teams, but the league's commissioner, David Stern, seems open to the possibility that that number of franchises could shrink in the future. Speaking on an ESPN.com podcast, Stern stated that there is some interest in contraction from both the league and players sides and that the subject will be picked up after the current Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations are completed. "[Contraction] is not a subect that we're against," Stern said. "In fact, when you talk about revenue sharing, a number of teams have said that if you have a team that is perpetually going to be a recipient, aren't you better off with the ability to buy them in? Because between the"
Spurs' Lindsey still in hunt for vacant Raptors' GM job
August 3
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey remains the most likely person in the Spurs' organizational structure to get a promotion with another team. Lindsey is one of four finalists for the vacant Toronto Raptors' general manager position after having been mentioned for several positions around the league in the last several seasons. Lindsey is one of the most respected management types in the NBA and has learned well under Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford during his five seasons with the Spurs. Earlier, he was with Houston for 11 seasons, finishing his tenure there as the team's director of player personnel. David Aldridge of NBA.com doesn't expect any movement in the next couple of"
Raptors GM search finds some candidates, slowly grinds ahead
August 2
Pro Basketball Talk
 
"Someday the Toronto Raptors are going to hire a GM. That day is not in the near future, but the process is slowly grinding forward. Not that there is any real pressure due to the lockout. Apparently they have got some candidates in mind to join Bryan Colangelo running the Raptors, and eventually they will interview them. So reports David Aldridge at NBA.com. Don't expect any movement on the Toronto general manager's search for a couple of weeks. Team president Bryan Colangelo was in Europe last week and won't start whittling down his group of candidates until the middle of the month."
Despite report, Stefanski hasn't met with Raptors
July 18
CSN Philly
 
"Despite reports that he was a finalist for the position, Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski hasn't yet interviewed for the Toronto Raptors' vacant general manager position, according to a source. Stefanski, who has been granted permission to speak with other teams, is expected to interview with the Raptors sometime in the next few weeks, however. Of course, since the NBA lockout is expected to drag on throughout the summer, there's no rush to fill vacant management positions. The Sixers' GM may very well wind up in Toronto, as he has ties to the organization. The Raptors, who are in the midst of rebuilding their leadership, hired coach Dwayne Casey on June 21. Casey was the runner-up to"
Report: Colangelo has favourites in bid to boost front office
July 15
Toronto Sun
 
"With new head coach Dwane Casey's staff in place, Bryan Colangelo is getting serious about beefing up his front office. For a number of months, the word has been that Colangelo, the Raptors president and general manager, was considering, if the right candidate came along, dropping the GM portion of his portfolio – at least in title – and handing it to somebody else. That wouldn't mean the new addition would have final say though. While a fan of a consensus, brainstorming approach, Colangelo has always been an executive who gets the final word and that would not change. But with the Maple Leafs building up a front office group around Brian Burke that is the envy of the NHL, Maple Leaf"
Raptors to target Lindsey for GM opening
July 15
San Antonio Express-News
 
"For the third time in as many summers, Dennis Lindsey's name has come up in connection with another team's general manager search. According to a Yahoo Sports! report late Thursday night , the Toronto Raptors are preparing to target Lindsey, who just finished his fourth season as the Spurs' assistant GM, as a candidats in their front-office hunt. Bryan Colangelo currently holds dual titles of president and GM in Toronto but, according to the report, is willing to surrender GM duties to the right candidate. Lindsey is believed to be on that list, along with former New Orleans general manager Jeff Bower and Philadelphia GM Ed Stefanski."
Ex-Raptor Weems makes leap to Lithuania
July 8
Toronto Star
 
"Sonny Weems is going to get the chance to play basketball next season. In Lithuania. The free-agent swingman has signed a one-year contract with Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian league. Weems became a restricted free agent when his deal with the Raptors expired June 30. With the uncertainty surrounding the NBA lockout, his move to Europe assures he'll get to play somewhere."
Sonny Weems to sign with European team in coming days
July 6
Toronto Star
 
"Sonny Weems, the NBA swingman who played the past two seasons in Toronto, was waxing philosophical on Twitter the other day. "Limitations live only in our minds," went one of Weems's posts, a motivational quote attributed to U.S. cyclist Jamie Paolinetti. "But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless." There's a strong possibility that Weems, one of a handful of U.S.-based pro hoopsters conjuring profitable career choices in the midst of an NBA lockout, will spend the coming season playing in Europe. Sources say Weems is expected to sign a one-year deal to play with Lithuania's BC Zalgiris in the coming days."
Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach mulling Raptors' offer
June 30
Memphis Commercial Appeal
 
"The specter of an NBA lockout combined with the Grizzlies' obstinate negotiating manner could cost them another assistant coach by the weekend. Johnny Davis, the lead assistant coach under Lionel Hollins, reportedly has an offer to join the Toronto Raptors in a similar role once his Griz contract expires at midnight. The Griz are working to retain Davis but an agreement hinges on the length of a deal, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Davis, along with Hollins' entire staff, worked last season on a one-year deal without a raise from the previous season. Davis has been paid the going rate for lead assistants given his pedigree as a two-time former NBA head coach. But he"
It only gets harder for owners, players; owners expected to push for $45 million hard cap
June 30
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Mike Monroe
"The NBA's Board of Governors met Tuesday in Dallas and heard a report on collective bargaining from Spurs owner Peter Holt, chairman of its labor relations committee. The league wouldn't reveal if the board officially authorized locking out the players once the clock strikes midnight Thursday, the end of the collective bargaining agreement that's been in place since 2005, but it doesn't matter. As commissioner David Stern has warned already, such a vote is a mere formality and can be conducted by any means at any time. The first lockout authorization via text message may be mere hours away. Holt's committee will meet with the negotiating committee of the National Basketball Player's"
Raptors won't bring Wright and Dorsey back
June 29
Toronto Sun
 (scroll down)
"The Raptors extended a qualifying offer to Sonny Weems earlier this week, but declined to do the same for forwards Julian Wright and Joey Dorsey, who now will become unrestricted free agents."
Raptors are expected to give Maurizio Gherardini a new contract
June 29
Toronto Sun
 (scroll down)
"According to Italian newspaper La Tribuna of Treviso, Maurizio Gherardini expects to be re-upped by the Raptors. His contract is slated to expire on Thursday night but apparently, negotiations are in progress. Gherardini joined the Raptors in June of 2006, becoming the first European to hold a senior management position in the NBA."
Raptors coach Casey completes staff
June 29
NBA.com
 
"New Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey has completed the bulk of his coaching staff, with former Raptors assistant and 76ers and Magic head coach Johnny Davis agreeing to join his staff as lead assistant coach. Davis coached Allen Iverson in his rookie season in Philadelphia, but was fired after one season. He spent parts of two seasons as Orlando's head coach, and was interim head coach in Memphis after Marc Iavaroni was fired two years ago, before the Grizzlies named Lionel Hollins head coach. Davis, a former teammate of Hollins' on Portland's world championship team in 1976, remained on Hollins's staff."
Raptors extend qualifying offer to Sonny Weems
June 28
Toronto Sun
 
"In a mildly surprising move, the Raptors announced on Monday they have given swingman Sonny Weems a qualifying offer. That makes Weems a restricted free agent rather than an unrestricted one, and gives the club the option to match any offers to Weems from other teams. Weems, a throw-in in the Amir Johnson-Carlos Delfino deal two years ago, finished his first season with the Raptors well and got off to a great start last season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 37 games — 28 of them starts — prior to the all-star break in 27.2 minutes per game. Weems also started the year 5-11 from three, but went 12-50 the rest of the way."
Barbosa picks up option to stay with Raptors
June 26
Toronto Sun
 
"It appears Leandro Barbosa will not be heading back to Brazil after all. Toronto Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo told QMI Agency Saturday afternoon that Barbosa has picked up his $7.6 million U.S. player option for the 2011-2012 season. Barbosa beat a midnight deadline to make a call."
Raptors exercise options on DeRozan, Davis and Johnson
June 25
NBA.com
 
"The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they have exercised team options on the Rookie Scale Contracts of guard-forward DeMar DeRozan and forwards James Johnson and Ed Davis. The club picked up the fourth year team options for DeRozan and Johnson and the third year option for Davis. The contracts for all players are now guaranteed through the 2012-13 season. In accordance with the league's collective bargaining agreement, the Raptors had until October 31 to exercise their option on the three players. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. DeRozan, 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, was the ninth overall pick by Toronto in the 2009 NBA Draft. In his two seasons with the Raptors he"
Don't discount Tyson Chandler deal
June 25
Toronto Sun
 
"With the draft out of the way and the buyout of his selection cleared up, Bryan Colangelo now turns his attention to free agency and the trade market. His No. 1 goal is a player who can bridge the gap between now and the day Jonas Valanciunas is ready to take over full time. "We want to let it happen kind of naturally so I think our No. 1 goal in trades or free agency this year is to address the need of a big man and maybe it's a bridge to the future," Colangelo said. The perfect bridge and one that has got a lot of play recently would by Tyson Chandler, the Dallas Mavericks' free agent who was the glue in then assistant coach Dwane Casey's defensive scheme."
Johnny Davis linked to Raptors
June 25
Toronto Sun
 
"History suggests the guy new Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has in mind to lead his staff is Johnny Davis, one of Casey's closest friends who has spent close to four decades involved in the NBA. It's not known when Davis' deal with the Memphis Grizzlies expires, but typically late June is the date most assistants under contract are either extended or told to look for another job. Davis and Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins are former teammates in Portland, but Davis' bond with Casey may lead him to Toronto. When Casey was named head coach in Minnesota six years ago, he immediately turned to Davis a month after Davis was relieved of his head coaching duties in Orlando, where he replaced Doc"
Raptors covet Brandon Knight
June 23
Toronto Sun
 
"In one breath Bryan Colangelo says he thinks he has a handle on what the three teams with the four picks ahead of him are doing. In the next he uses words like "murkiness" and "deception" to describe the draft board landscape. Any certainty in the days and hours approaching draft night in any professional sport are about as common as back-to-back solid rebounding efforts from Andrea Bargnani. The certainty a draft participant like Colangelo is willing to share is rarer still."
Could be a Knight for the Raps to remember
June 23
Toronto Sun
 
"The Raptors have made their list. They've checked it twice. Thursday, we'll see what they came up with after one of the more fluid draft processes in some time. Right up until the final evening before Thursday's NBA draft it was hard to get a read on what might go down or what the Raptors have planned. But try we must and it's looking increasingly likely that the list is headlined by Kentucky freshman guard Brandon Knight, who an NBA team will try to convert from a scorer into more of a traditional point guard; Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas, who will stay in Europe for at least another season due to a buyout issue; Congolese big man Bismack Biyombo, one of the draft's biggest"
Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams hold court on eve of turning professional
June 23
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
"After an hour of interviews and seemingly endless questions about the draft order, post-draft plans and the possibility of a lockout, Duke point guard Kyrie Irving and Arizona forward Derrick Williams got back to where they're most comfortable -- the basketball court. Irving and Williams, players the Cavaliers are thought to be considering with the No. 1 pick in today's NBA Draft, led a contingent of draft hopefuls onto the courts at John Jay College for a clinic with 60 Special Olympians as part of the NBA Cares Community Caravan. It was hard to tell who enjoyed it more -- the draft hopefuls or the Special Olympians. "Not everybody wants to wear a suit all day," a grinning Williams said."
Nash reiterates stance on staying
June 23
Arizona Republic
 
"It was appropriate that Steve Nash had to reiterate his stance on his Suns commitment on the same day his team president, Lon Babby, needed to reiterate the franchise's commitment to him. Babby again stated that the Suns will not be trading Nash, nor have they initiated talks with other teams about such a deal. Meanwhile, Nash was having a "global chat" of a press conference in advance of his charity soccer game in New York today when he received a question about whether he would want to play for Toronto."