{"id":34833,"date":"2026-05-06T21:45:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/34833\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T21:45:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:45:17","slug":"toronto-raptors-gm-proud-to-see-his-team-take-a-step-in-the-right-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/34833\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Raptors\u2019 GM proud to see his team take a step in the right direction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Toronto Raptors general manager Bobby Webster met with media on Wednesday for his end-of-season press conference.Cole Burston\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Toronto Raptors\u2019<\/a> general manager Bobby Webster called his team\u2019s season a step in the right direction. <\/p>\n

That step included a 46-36 record \u2013 a 16-win improvement over the prior season \u2013 capped off with the franchise\u2019s first postseason berth in four years. Though Toronto fell in the first round, it brought playoff basketball, featuring raucous crowds, back to Scotiabank Arena. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean that the next step or the next few steps aren\u2019t going to be even harder,\u201d Webster said. \u201cI think that was a lot of our messaging over the last couple of days to the team. <\/p>\n

\u201cBoth things can be true \u2013 you can be proud of what you did but also have a hunger and grit in the summer to advance beyond that.\u201d <\/p>\n

Raptors general manager Bobby Webster held his season-ending news conference at Toronto\u2019s OVO Athletic Centre. Webster spoke about how proud he was of the Raptors playoff run and about the possibility of re-signing Canadian guard RJ Barrett, who is entering the final season of his contract.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Part of the team\u2019s pride stems from its seven-game showing against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The series went the distance with two of Toronto\u2019s heavy hitters \u2013 Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley \u2013 sidelined with injuries for part, if not all, of the series.<\/p>\n

The absences put young players in roles they likely wouldn\u2019t have had under regular circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were the youngest in the playoffs this season, and that speaks to the growth and where the trajectory of this group can go \u2013 we\u2019re excited about it,\u201d Webster said. \u201cWe\u2019re also not going to say, \u2018Oh wow, that seven-game [series] spoke volumes about the next three or four years.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Cathal Kelly: The Raptors lost Game 7 against Cleveland, but they’ve finally gotten their edge back<\/a><\/p>\n

Part of building includes addressing expiring \u2013 or extension-eligible \u2013 contracts this summer. <\/p>\n

RJ Barrett said he wants to stay in Toronto on Monday. The Mississauga native\u2019s contract expires after the 2026-27 season but is eligible for an extension this summer. He averaged more than 24 points in the series against the Cavaliers, along with seven rebounds, four assists and 1.3 steals per game. <\/p>\n

\u201cI spoke to RJ at the end of the season, I\u2019ve spoken to him throughout the season,\u201d Webster said. \u201cI think the best part is, he is under contract, so that decision can also be at the end of [next] season.\u201d <\/p>\n

Garrett Temple is a free agent this summer. Various Raptors have voiced their love for his leadership and presence around the team. Temple, who turns 40 on May 8, served more as an off-court mentor than on-court force this season. <\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

RJ Barrett was the Raptors’ top scorer in their seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers and hit the game-winning shot for his team that forced Game 7.Sammy Kogan\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

He averaged just 3.3 minutes across 22 games. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s probably one of the guys I talk most with \u2013 similar age, cares about the right things for the team \u2013 so that\u2019s great to have him,\u201d Webster said, adding that it\u2019s been great to see the relationships Temple has formed with Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles and others. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, there\u2019s only 15 roster spots, and he knows that,\u201d Webster said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been fortunate enough to have one for him every year, and we\u2019d love to have him back, but we\u2019ll have to see how the summer plays out.\u201d <\/p>\n

Raptors young guns and coach see much to work on over off-season<\/a><\/p>\n

Sandro Mamukelashvili\u2019s future is uncertain. Should he not exercise his US$2.8-million player option for the 2026-27 season, the soon-to-be 27-year-old will become a free agent. <\/p>\n

Webster said Mamukelashvili fit well with the Raptors. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll talk to his [representation]. We\u2019ll talk to Mamu, I think he wants to be here,\u201d Webster said. \u201cThere\u2019s probably financial realities of the NBA, but we\u2019ll do everything we can to retain him.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mamukelashvili set career highs in games played (80) and points per game (11.2), while serving as a key rotational figure with the Raptors. On Monday, he said his main priority as a competitor is to win. <\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Sandro Mamukelashvili can become a free agent this summer if he declines the player option in his contract.Jason Miller\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully it\u2019s going to be here, I really want to be back,\u201d Mamukelashvili said. \u201cI love Toronto, I love people, I love the organization and [head] coach Darko [Rajakovic].\u201d <\/p>\n

Beyond contracts, Webster said there are two approaches the team can look at moving forward: \u201cDo you let it organically grow,\u201d or \u201cdo you start to cash in your chips?\u201d <\/p>\n

The Raptors own all of their future first-round draft picks and sit under the NBA\u2019s luxury tax, which provides flexibility in the future for potential moves \u2013 big or small. <\/p>\n

As for making a large swing through trading draft equity and other pieces if the opportunity presents itself? <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always going to be opportunistic in any trade market, it\u2019s the reason why we have kept all of our first-round picks, it\u2019s to be able to have that,\u201d Webster said. <\/p>\n

\u201cFinancially, we\u2019re well-positioned in the future to take on money if we have to. But it gets back to what the profile of this team is; if you want to double down on defence or if you think the offence needs help,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019d have to materially move us ahead from a contender standpoint.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Toronto Raptors general manager Bobby Webster met with media on Wednesday for his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[164,224,238,214,212,239,17,211,230,231,227,213,210,235,171,234,143,222,249,215,216,229,225,226,219,240,220,244,245,247,242,246,94,243,217,142,233,113,232,241,223,236,48,237,228,221,218,248],"class_list":{"0":"post-34833","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto","8":"tag-alberta","9":"tag-arts-news","10":"tag-bc","11":"tag-breaking-news","12":"tag-breaking-news-video","13":"tag-british-columbia","14":"tag-canada","15":"tag-canada-news","16":"tag-canada-sports","17":"tag-canada-sports-news","18":"tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","19":"tag-canadian-breaking-news","20":"tag-canadian-news","21":"tag-economy","22":"tag-education","23":"tag-environment","24":"tag-federal-government","25":"tag-foreign-news","26":"tag-globe-and-mail","27":"tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","28":"tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","29":"tag-government","30":"tag-life-news","31":"tag-lifestyle","32":"tag-local-news","33":"tag-manitoba","34":"tag-national-news","35":"tag-new-brunswick","36":"tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","37":"tag-northwest-territories","38":"tag-nova-scotia","39":"tag-nunavut","40":"tag-ontario","41":"tag-pei","42":"tag-photos","43":"tag-political-news","44":"tag-political-opinion","45":"tag-politics","46":"tag-politics-news","47":"tag-quebec","48":"tag-sports-news","49":"tag-technology","50":"tag-toronto","51":"tag-travel","52":"tag-trudeau","53":"tag-us-news","54":"tag-world-news","55":"tag-yukon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}