The Toronto Raptors' summer league standout Jamarion Sharp has agreed to a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to HoopsHype's Mike Scotto. The 7-foot-5 big man turned a lot of heads during his time with the Raptors in Las Vegas, as his freakish size mixed with elite rim protection and improving ability as a play finisher made him a name to watch.
While Raptors fans likely hoped that the only pain the Clippers would bring them was this never-ending Kawhi Leonard trade saga, they stung Toronto again with their Sharp signing.
Sharp isn’t some can't-miss prospect who the Raptors will forever regret not signing following the conclusion of the 2026 summer league. However, with Toronto continuing to have so much uncertainty behind Jakob Poeltl, seeing a player with his size and potential go to a team that fans are already not on good terms with hurts.
Losing Sharp leaves more unanswered questions for the Raptors
Through his five appearances with the Dinos in Vegas, Sharp averaged 7.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 71.4 percent from the field.
One of the question marks surrounding Sharp entering summer league was how efficient of a play finisher he could be and if he had the ability to be a go-to guy in the pick-and-roll. He answered both those questions with a definitive yes as he was incredibly reliable as a roller, lob threat, and putback scorer. Against the Rockets, his offensive tools were on full display as Sharp finished the game with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks while shooting 5-of-5 and getting to the foul line eight times.
While his height has always been a massive advantage, his weight has always been a concern, as Sharp is thin-framed and would often get bodied by more mature, stronger bigs on boxouts. In Vegas, this concern still seemed real, but his control and awareness as a rebounder definitely were much stronger than the last two seasons with Dallas’ G League affiliate.Â
One area that seemed to translate seamlessly was his shot blocking. Last season, Sharp won Defensive Player of the Year, posting a 3.8 blocks per game average for the Mavs affiliate. In summer league, he brought the same effectiveness as a rim protector. Even in scenarios where he would get pushed or outmatched in the strength department, his length acted as the perfect counter.
With the Raptors still having major questions about what their center rotation looks like outside of Jakob Poeltl, I’m pretty disappointed they didn’t at least give Sharp a training camp deal. Maybe Sharp signing with the Clippers opens the door for another Raptors summer league big like Nate Bittle to get a contract, or maybe this was simply a miscalculation.
Either way, it stings a little bit more watching a player like Sharp sign with a team directly tied to the Kawhi Leonard trade being held up.
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