Sandro Mamukelashvili has a player option for the 2026-27 season that he outplayed by a good bit and is almost certain to decline. That gives the Raptors two options: Give him a pay raise this offseason when they are already financially limited due to a bunch of expensive long-term contracts, or let him walk away in free agency. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes recently listed the latter scenario as the Raptors’ “Biggest Fear For the 2026 NBA Offseason”—and with good reason.
If the Raptors lose Mamukelashvili, they will lose one of the few volume 3-point shooters on the roster and would have to figure out how to replace him in a frontcourt that currently doesn’t feature any other floor spacers. Mamukelashvili wasn’t great in the playoffs, averaging just 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist while shooting an uncharacteristic 28.6% from behind the arc. Still, there’s no denying that he was very effective in the regular season, and you have to win in the regular season before you can even worry about the playoffs.
The fact that another team could very well outbid the Raptors’ for Mamukelashvili’s services is scary simply because of the team’s flawed roster construction: There simply aren’t enough 3-point shooters on the Raptors’ current roster, especially in the frontcourt. This isn’t anything new to the Raptors or their fans, but Mamukelashvili’s looming free agency is a constant, painful reminder.
Losing Mamukelashvili would leave the Raptors with few volume shooters depending on his replacement
Six Raptors players shot 37% or better from 3-point range in the 2025-26 regular season. Two of those players were A.J. Lawson and Jamison Battle, who both averaged less than 10 minutes a game and took fewer than two outside shots per game.
Ja’Kobe Walter, Mamukelashvili, Brandon Ingram, and Immanuel Quickley were the only players to shoot 37% or better on at least three attempts per game. Losing Mamukelashvili would cut that number to three—a dangerously low number in modern basketball—unless the Raptors can replace him with another reliable 3-point shooter.
What makes Mamukelashvili so valuable for the Raptors is his size. He can play and space the floor in the frontcourt in a way the Raptors’ other bigs can’t. Jakob Poeltl didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer this past season and Collin Murray-Boyles went 17-50, making a solid percentage of his shots but not taking nearly enough to worry opposing teams. Scottie Barnes shot a decent number of 3-pointers but made only 30.4% in the regular season. His average shot up to 38.1% in the playoffs, but that might not be sustainable.
Mamukelashvili gives the Raptors a different look in the frontcourt and was a part of three of Toronto’s five highest-scoring lineups in the regular season.
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