One of the Raptors’ few moves at the trade deadline was to acquire Trayce Jackson-Davis from the Warriors in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick. The 26-year-old has barely played for the Raptors so far, collecting DNPs or only stepping on the court in garbage time. He has also been spending some time with the Raptors’ G League team.
Fans shouldn’t expect Jackson-Davis’s situation to change any time soon. The Raptors clearly view him as a development project and depth insurance rather than someone who can contribute to the team in the midst of a close playoff race.
In a post-practice interview on March 17, head coach Darko Rajakovic said, “The plan that we have for him is a long-term plan. We’re really trying to get him up to speed with our program with conditioning that playing in the system that we have demands. He’s been awesome. He’s been doing a great job. Any opportunity for him to be without our 905 program is super important for him and super important for the team.”
He also added, “We have a long-term plan for how we want to develop him and where we want to see him go.”
Finding minutes for Jackson-Davis isn’t easy
The Raptors are battling for playoff positioning. That doesn’t leave a huge margin of error and that, in turn, makes playing a younger player who just joined the team mid-season difficult—especially now that the team is getting healthy again. Collin Murray-Boyles is expected to rejoin the team on its upcoming road trip, which give the coaching staff three more proven options to play ahead of Jackson-Davis.
Jakob Poeltl has played pretty well since he returned to the lineup, including a big 21-point, 18-rebound double-double in a win over the Pistons. Collin Murray-Boyles promises a higher upside than Jackson-Davis and has priority as the team’s own first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Sandro Mamukelashvili has a solid 3-point shot going for him that makes him a very interesting option in the frontcourt.
So, barring a string of injuries, Jackson-Davis’s role with the Raptors probably won’t change as they close out the season and embark on their first playoff journey with this core.
Jackson-Davis has a team option for the 2026-27 season, so the Raptors will have to decide if there will be any more opportunities available for him next season, if they want to keep him around as center assurance on a cheap contract, or if they want to let him walk in free agency to pursue someone else.
Jackson-Davis is playing well for the Raptors 905
It’s not much of a surprise to see Jackson-Davis putting up big numbers whenever he suits up for the Raptors 905. Last night, he helped power the team to a 123-122 win over the Motor City Cruise with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Before that, he recorded 32 points on 11-17 shooting, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in an eight-point win against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.